Final Fantasy: Impact
by Ignotus2
Summary: An epic fanfic chronicling the second coming of the war of the Magi, and the creation of a god which seeks to destroy all life in the universe. Seph, Kefka, Cloud, Terra, and many others included in the final struggle for survival of the human race.
1. An Unsettling Vision

Please note this is a continuing saga and second part of a 3 book trilogy. The first book, Final Fantasy Infusion, leads up to the events which occur in this fic, and can be found on the website here at Fanfiction.net. Please read or skim over the final chapters of that fiction before beginning this to gain full understanding of the events. Thank you.  
  
FINAL FANTASY IMPACT  
  
Book I - Departure  
  
Chapter 1: An Unsettling Vision  
  
Space . . . Its cold reaches out to those that would want to touch it. It tells all yet has boundless secrets . . .  
  
The beating drums in Cosmo Canyon were the heartbeat of the planet. On any given day, dozens of chants could be heard echoing through the caves that lined its walls, calling to ancient ancestors and praising the Earth for its teachings. The eternal candle of Cosmo Canyon continued to burn brightly, its flames arching upward with little fuel below it to ignite it. The campfire would always be there, guiding those from far away to enter its city and learn of what the world had to teach. Built on the highest point of Cosmo Canyon, a huge telescope gazes towards the wonders of space, Bugenhagen's final testament to advancing his people's understanding of the universe. But that wasn't all it was for. Over the years, millions of pieces of information were collected and joined together to produce a magnificent exhibit of the world outside our planet. This . . . is where it all begins.  
  
Nanaki flipped the switch on the wall to enter his observatory. He listened to the gears clink with great delight as the lift carried him up to the planetarium. Nanaki had done this countless times before, but the process still carried an air of wonder and amazement about it. He was enlightened by his grandfather's invention, a galaxy not just full of wisdom, but of mystery as well. It was a near perfect model of the solar system, constantly being updated by scientific journals from astronomers and followers of the Planet's teaching in Cosmo Canyon. The sparse glittering of stars and orbiting celestial bodies surrounded his whole existence, making the Ancient feel as though he stood at the nucleus of the universe himself. However, he hadn't come up to see just the planets this time.  
  
The fiery red canine gazed blankly at all the huge materia that cluttered ground level of the room. There was a yellow one, symbolic of honor and might, a red one, representing the flames of courage and valor, the green one, a symbol of everything beautiful and mysterious in life, and finally the bluish-purple gem, Bahamut Zero. It shone dully with the coldness of space and the darkness that exists everywhere in the universe. No light would ever come from it, but in a fleeting look, Nanaki saw it glimmer. He approached the materia with a puzzled look.  
  
"What?" He growled curiously, walking even closer to it and tilting his head from side to side to inspect it. The sparkle was growing evidently brighter and Red drew even closer. He dared to venture closer still and then he realized his fault . . .  
  
"Oh damn!" he howled. It was only a reflection.  
  
Nanaki quickly jerked his head upwards and saw a blinding light spread out from a point in deep space. The satellite monitoring that part of the galaxy beamed back real time data, incorporating it into the set up of the observatory. In no time it enveloped the entire room with its widespread glory and overtook the Sun's rays. The brave, lion-like dog put his belly on the ground and covered his eyes with his right paw out of reflex. The light subsided briefly after he had done so and he soon got back up. Nanaki's jaw dropped as he raised his head towards the source of the explosion.  
  
"A Supernova!" Nanaki deduced, "No . . . wait a second . . . it can't be!"  
  
The model of the solar system depicted endless undulating light waves coming form this cosmic event, its sudden existence sending ripples throughout the entire galaxy. Nanaki was entranced as the waves of matter echoed harmlessly into the recesses of space, bouncing off of celestial bodies and creating a beautiful dance of light going back and forth in every direction. The waves of light started to filter out and then vanished just as quickly as they had appeared. Red was about to leave when he saw streaks of white light cycling back to their starting point. Rays of light and matter around the area began to disappear, and the satellite returned zero data. It could only mean one thing . . . a black hole had appeared and it was pulling everything around it into it, including light.  
  
All of this excitement had left Red in a stupor and completely unaware of his situation. The lights in the observatory flickered on for a couple seconds and then ceased altogether. Sparks flew from the wall and the rotation of the planets grinded to a halt, perfectly aligned with each other and the sun. A sign? Who knows . . . that was all he needed to get him going. Red XIII clumsily ran down the steps of Cosmo Canyon, slipping as he rounded the corners and then pushing his body to run as fast as it could carry him.  
  
"Where is he going in such a hurry?" a nosy little boy wondered as he saw Nanaki from his kitchen window on the ground level. His mom walked by the door to the kitchen and saw that he had stopped washing.  
  
"You'll be going to your room with no desert if you don't do the dishes!" the boy's mother retorted. With a scowl on his face, the boy grumbled into the suds in the sink and continued to wash.  
  
Red was on a mission. He had to speak to Cid.  
  
Rocket Town, one hour later . . .  
  
Shera was hard at work finishing a cabin for Cid's newest toy, his new Spaceship. The captain walked up to Shera as she wrote some notes down on her pad of paper, glancing over her shoulder to see what she was doing before turning to catch the metal skin gleam under the Sun's rays.  
  
"What do you think we should call it?" He asked as his eyes looked over the shiny green hull, wiping oil and grease into a rag. He walked up to one of the massive engines and patted it down, his baby sounding like it was purring as the empty cylinders rumbled lightly.  
  
She noticed his boyish behavior, smiling and pushing the glasses up on her nose before blandly replying, "Whatever you want dear."  
  
Cid thought for a moment, his hand scratching a three day old beard. When that didn't produce any results, he took out a calming cigarette and looked to the sky for an answer. Cupping his hand over his lighter to block out the wind, the captain sucked on the butt of the cigarette until it glowed bright orange. As he took his first puff, Shera looked at him and scoffed. She really wished that he would stop, it was such an unhealthy habit and all her clothes were starting to smell like burnt tobacco and the countless other chemicals put into it. But for once he was actually thinking something through, and she liked it. His goggles started to get fogged up from smoke as he puffed harder in order to draw in more inspiration.  
  
"I got it!" He yelled as he clasped his hands together, "I'm gonna call her the Aeris. Its only right considering I have high hopes for this ship, kinda how Aeris had prayed for the planet before she died."  
  
"Whatever you want," Shera repeated as she scratched something down on her clipboard and modified the cabin dimensions. She'd be sure that the first test flight would go off without a hitch this time. Third time is a charm they say . . .  
  
The vessel was almost complete. Cid started this whole project by adding onto the escape plane that he had flown after Holy destroyed his magnificent work of art, The Highwind. The only components he REALLY needed were the rockets, and those were pretty hard to come by after the collapse of nearly every major company that relied on Mako. But he could always rely on good ole Shinra to come through in a pinch. After its financial collapse, Shinra was willing to do anything in order to make money, including liquidating its entire Space Division department. Without the leadership of Rufus or any other big names, the Board of Directors of the company was too weak and spineless to refuse Cid's price for the parts he needed. It also helped to know the new President of Shinra, Reeve. Although they were initially charging 1 million gil apiece for the booster rockets, Cid used his vast influence and connections to lower the price. They had once taken everything away from him, so it was only fair that now he was getting them back where it hurt them the most, their pockets. He bought seven for under 5 million gil and they were even kind enough to have them deliver each directly to Rocket Town via one of their remaining Gelinka flying fortresses. It was chump change for one of the heroes that saved the world from Meteor. Countless victories over bandits and winnings from the Gold Saucer had produced gillionares out of each of them, and what they spent it on was to their own discretion.  
  
Cid grabbed a blowtorch and a visor helmet as he walked by the tool rack, starting to whistle happily. Whistling was a new habit he had picked up that allowed him to lower his stress levels considerably instead of cursing. Shera had sort of blown up on him one day, and he hadn't cussed in front of her since. It comes in very handy for a pilot where things can and usually DO go wrong. Cid then went up to a ladder and climbed up to the place of current construction. He used his cigarette to ignite the blowtorch and climbed to the top of the ladder, making it easier for him rather than using a spark prong. He then proceeded to pull down his helmet and start welding.  
  
The ladder shook.  
  
"Shera, will you watch where you're walking dammit!!" Cid exclaimed. The ladder shook again and Cid dropped his blowtorch to the ground below. He had lost his composure now.  
  
"GOD DAMN IT!!" Cid lifted his helmet and looked down. He was surprised to see a wagging tail greeting him.  
  
Somewhere off in the distance Shera answered, "What dear?"  
  
"Nothing!" he quickly recovered, "Oh. Sorry Red, I didn't know it was you. What's up?" Cid asked him.  
  
Nanaki's expression suddenly became solemn and stern, "We need to talk."  
  
Vicinity of Black Hole  
  
Jagged parts of the moon and Meteor floated everywhere since the catastrophic impact over a month ago. The majority of their mass either burnt up in the planet's atmosphere or was caught in the Sun's gravitational pull, the small pieces being vaporized into atoms when they got close enough to the intense heat. Only a few chunks of rock had escaped these constant variables of destruction, and they were drifting like a wandering soul, aimlessly tumbling deep into space. But now, a third possible means of destruction viable. They would be crushed into nothingness inside the Black Hole. More powerful than any sun, and capable of sucking all matter into its core, black holes come about after the death of gigantic stars. Their cores are so dense that it creates boundless energy. However, this energy can not be tapped. Its purpose is meant for only one thing, destruction. Nothing composed of any type of matter can escape its pull, even light. Black Holes bend entire galaxies to its might . . .  
  
Rocket Town  
  
"So, I was wondering if the ship was ready to fly yet." Red pestered Cid again, getting vague answers since he arrived.  
  
"Sure she can fly, but I haven't had the chance to test her out yet. The first test flight wasn't scheduled for another week or so." Cid answered, sounding unsure.  
  
"I have to investigate this phenomena right away Cid," Red continued, "I have suspicions about its properties, and since it's so close to our solar system, it could post a threat to us in the future. It's a once in a lifetime chance . . . these things were only thought of as being theoretically possible, but the recent events show that it does exist! I also don't know how long it will last either, and a discovery such as this shouldn't go undocumented! "  
  
"Well . . . if you feel so strongly about this black hole thingy, go assemble a team for this mission of yours. I'll see what I can do. By the time you get everyone prepared to leave I will have her ready to fly. I could even have it done by the day after tomorrow if ya want but-" Cid told Red, quickly being interrupted by the dog's answer.  
  
"Great! Thanks buddy!" Red replied happily, trotting off towards the Inn.  
  
Shera came into the cabin of the ship with a puzzled look on her face, "Ciddddd? What did you tell him?"  
  
The captain coughed and looked down at the ground, scratching the back of his head, "Um . . . well . . . you see it's like this," he raised his finger to her, asking for a minute of time. After turning on the megaphone outside the ship with some nasty feedback, he began an announcement, "Yo you punks! Everybody's working late tonight, you hear me? We gotta be ready to launch in two days!!"  
  
"What!?" Shera screamed in shock.  
  
"We're launching tomorrow damn it!" Cid yelled back. Shera's eyes narrowed and she gave him a VERY dirty look. The pilot of the ship just picked up a wrench and went into the fuselage, whistling all the way there.  
  
As Nanaki walked into the Rocket Town Inn, he passed by a few technicians, hearing some of them swear at the captain under their breath. Cid had just told them they would be working overtime tonight.  
  
Outer Space  
  
Blackness . . . The only sign of life is in the burning stars millions of miles apart from each other. A sudden loss of light from some of the stars signals the passing of terrestrial debris. It got increasingly thicker and merged together near the mouth of the black hole. Its pull had beckoned everything in the solar system to adventure near its boundaries, and the debris from the moon and meteor had answered the call. Small rocks floating near the Black hole were crushed instantly into space dust, which in turn were smothered until the substance was ripped into separate molecules. The bigger chunks were ripped apart bit by bit as they reached this cosmic singularity, until they were nothing more than crushed atomic particles. These were the only remains of the great battle that had occurred more than six months ago. Everything else was kept in the memories of those that had fought in it.  
  
A gigantic part of the moon floated reluctantly towards the hole, spinning much slower than all the others. It was more than just a lifeless rock. This object carried a passenger that once possessed a great power at will. Now, he was bonded to its fate, to go wherever it led him. A tattered body of a man once known as the tyrant Sephiroth lay half-buried in stone and dust beneath its surface. He was dead for good, no amount of power able to save him from the final leg of his voyage, but his twisted, haughty grin still lay on his lips. Comets and small meteorites traveling at high-speed had torn through his exposed limbs as they were caught by the gravity of the black hole, ripping off his right arm and leg. His torso was also gone, burned through when meteor smacked into his exposed flesh. Call it a body if you will, but what it resembled was more like am empty shell.  
  
The gravity licked feverishly at Sephiroth's carcass as the rock passed closer to the epicenter of the black hole. A cracked black materia became dislodged from his gear and zoomed out in front of him, into the middle of the black hole. It refused to be crushed, emanating its will outward as it sped closer and closer towards the center. It was swallowed up and sent through the spiraling vortex, completely intact. At the instant the evil materia passed through, it changed the entire composition of the black hole, negating the crushing power at its core. Sephiroth's rock followed soon afterwards, crumbling away at the edges on its way to becoming ultimately demolished as it passed through the heart of the black hole.  
  
Nibelheim, next morning  
  
Cloud sat dazed in his old house, looking out the window toward the misty mountains of his childhood. Memories, both sad and good had found him when he returned to this accursed town again. Shinra had given up its façade of ownership and had abandoned Nibelheim, leaving it to the monsters in the caves and wanderers. This ghost town fit the likes of Vincent more than Cloud. It was a town of sorrow and regret of things that might have been. Vincent relished at the fact that it was quiet now and had been catching up on some long deserved sleep in the dilapidated mansion. Cloud, on the other hand, only sulked as he stared up to the high ceiling at his remodeled house. He had too much time on his hands since the end of dimension compression and did nothing but sleep and dwell on the past. He thought of Sephiroth and Aeris all the time, and about how things could have ended up differently. It had all been too traumatic for him, the responsibility and the expectations he had to live up to then. It had finally caught up to Cloud and changed him into a sort of hermit, despising all outside contact.  
  
Soon after everyone's return, he had thought of Tifa as someone he could be with for the rest of his life . . . but dark memories ate away at their fragile bonds and Cloud grew distant from the only person in the world to love him. Barret and Yuffie had made routine visits, bringing food and gifts which were usually forgotten the next day, but even now things were growing quieter. Lately his emotions were getting the better of him, almost reaching to the point where they were way out of control. He lashed out at those that loved him and became emotionally unavailable to people that wanted to help. His friends had given up hope, and were one by one not trying to get him to change for the better. He had assigned himself to his fate . . . and was wasting away. Aeris . . . he had wanted to stay with her, to be with her . . . not to leave her side again. But she was ripped coldly out of his world a second time, just as painfully as before.  
  
Cloud heard a knock at his door. He buried his face in a pillow, unwilling to socialize with anyone.  
  
"Cloud? You here?" Cid's voice rang out as he looked through the windows of the small one-story house.  
  
Cloud remained silent. He didn't want to be bothered.  
  
"Cloud!" Cid yelled louder, growing impatient, "Get off your ass and come outside! Dontchya wanna go see Aeris?"  
  
Cloud raised his head attentively at the mention of that name. "What?!" he replied in a curious tone, his voice cracking as thought he had merely just woke up.  
  
"You wanna see my finished spaceship Aeris?" Cid continued, "I'm putting the final touches on her this evening!"  
  
All Cloud managed was a lackluster "Sure," to Cid. He stood up and put on his pants and shoes. After he gathered what he needed for his short journey, he went out the door and saw the Captain waiting for him.  
  
"Nice to see you again little buddy. Nanaki is waking up Vincent as we speak..." Cid informed Cloud, patting him on the shoulder and shutting the door behind them. The captain wrapped his arm around Cloud's neck and jerked him forward playfully, "Come on buddy, some fresh air will do you good. We'll get to see the others too!" They waited a few minutes, straggling in front of the dreary mansion before Cid spoke up again, "What's taking him so long?"  
  
'And I bet you thought that I was grumpy when I woke up . . .' Cloud thought, smirking.  
  
Other side of Black hole  
  
The Black Materia shot out of the vortex on the other side of the black hole like a bullet from a rail-gun and was headed straight for a peaceful little planet. The tiny piece of materia flew like deranged comet, blasting through asteroids and other rocks that were in its path as it made its descent. It swirled around the orbit of this new place before the planet's gravity sucked it in. It approached in a streak of red light, burning its way through the atmosphere and crashing into the middle of a small lake in a lush region of the planet. The water flash boiled as soon as it hit, creating a massive fish kill and sending their dead bodies to float on the surface. Animals from all around the lake took flight when it shook the ground, startling them like nothing else ever had. In five minutes the water completely evaporated and a small pillar of steam was all that remained of thousands of gallons of water. A deep crater had formed from the impact around the torn shoreline, slowly flashing dark purple into the morning sky.  
  
Some of the more curious animals had returned and were sniffing around this weird stone that had fallen from the heavens. Amongst them was a little boy in his mid teens. Diminutive in size and greenish in skin color, he was the only one that dared to walk toward the steaming gem, thoughtfully pushing away the skittish animals that were in his way. The stone blinked from a distance for a second or two just enough to get the boy's attention and then ceased. Curious, the wild boy crawled into the crater, his tunic waving in the wind as he reached down to retrieve the stone. He bent over and picked the rock up to examine it, finding it strangely cool to the touch.  
  
"OOAaaoooooo!!" the boy wailed, "Gau find shiny thing!!" 


	2. A Long Awaited Reunion

Chapter 2: A Long Awaited Reunion  
  
Gau jumped unnoticed onto a wild chocobo's back. It warked in surprise, trying to buck him off, but he managed to get it under control with tasty greens hidden away in his pouch. Speaking in his wild tongue, the boy whispered something into the bird's ear and it warked again before leaping off at full speed over the hills. The talons of the chocobo ripped into the soft dirt of the Veldt, gaining incredible speed as the air began to flow through Gau's long, emerald hair. He smiled in the bright afternoon sun, clamping his new treasure tightly against his chest as the bird's head bobbed up and down, accumulating more speed than Gau could have imagined. He would reach Doma in no time.  
  
The whole planet had been rebuilt since the defeat of Kefka and Emperor Gestahl more than two years ago. After Decades of decay and war, peace and prosperity had been achieved. The inhabitants of this world were enjoying the quiet that the peace brought, and those that had lived their entire lifetimes in fear and despair were now able to sleep easier knowing that the next night would be free of raids, bombings, and fires. The once dead surface of the planet had again sprung back to life, showing its resiliency. Crystal clear water flowed down from the mountains, washing out the pollutions that had once filled the rivers and their tributaries. Birds once again migrated south for the winter, and beasts that had once grown feral and deadly were now roaming the free lands of the globe without incident.  
  
It was the dawn of a new age for many, but the twilight of life for many others. Valiant warriors and brave soldiers alike were out of jobs, spread to the wind like ashes after a fire. Some became mercenaries, some bounty hunters, but those that once lived for the heat of battle never again would feel the fire in their hearts that a clash of swords would bring. After the battle with Kefka, magic had disappeared for good. Those that had relied on it perished or adapted to life without it, but their life changed drastically either way. Their time on this planet was over . . . it was their children's turn to rebuild the world in a vision they saw fit, and to keep the peace for a better future. It would never be the same for anyone. The absence of magic in this fresh environment gave rise to new inventions and bigger advancements in technology at a much faster rate then could have ever been thought. The world, in essence, had reinvented itself from near death.  
  
Most embraced this new age of freedom and thought, but the Empire's remaining sympathizers had started construction on a sweeping metropolis in the months following the final battle, brashly naming it Neo Vector. The founders of this city sought to strike fear into the weak and once again rebuild their glorious Empire to the height of its power. With seemingly unlimited funds and manpower from their grand army, this new centralized capital city dwarfed any other on the planet. It was also the most technologically advanced, glowing at night from the millions of lights in its skyscrapers, and choking the clear blue sky with black smoke during the day from dozens of factories and chemical plants. They had remained non- hostile so far . . . but the other inhabitants of the planet had good reason to believe something more sinister was going on behind the mountainous steel walls that enclosed the city.  
  
The Empire wasn't this planet's only lingering problem though. Kefka's vigilant cult still worshipped him, even in death, making them a thorn in the side of those who truly wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over. Since its inception, membership had steadily increased, but the cult actually gained more members than ever before after the demise of their deity. If you asked any of the brainless drones chanting at the base of his tower, many would say that they thought the mighty Kefka was a martyr, dying in order to rid the world from the dangerous and power-hungry Espers. During the war, they believed whatever the high priests and priestesses told them. It was in their faith to not question the scripture of their god, which stated that all Espers were inherently evil and wanted to invade our world and kill all humans. Needless to say they were all non-magic users themselves, and had not once experienced the wisdom and vast knowledge of the race of magic users.  
  
The third and final faction, and the majority of world itself, was composed of The Returners. They had once been a revolutionary freedom fighting group, rising up against the Empire and its corruption. Their battle with that enemy had ended though, and they now had their sights elsewhere. They despised these dictatorial governments that lied to their masses, and, with help from other nations of the world, The Returners planned to wipe them all out once and for all. Heavily armed liberation groups had already formed in the northern regions of Narshe, the sprawling deserts around North and South Figaro, and the border town of Albrook. The few other cities that refused to join or remained neutral did so in fear of the shadow of the Empire that loomed over their heads.  
  
One kingdom of the world had remained neutral but not out of fear of the looming thread of Neo Vector. Cyan, new ruler of Doma, wanted nothing to do with this new war that was brewing because it posed "Too much of a threat to real peace and harmony" that he wanted to restore everywhere. He stated that the risk of repeating what had happened again was too great. The former retainer to the true king of Doma had paid the toll in past battles, losing both his loving wife and little boy to treason by the empire when Kefka poisoned their water supply. He could bear no more pain that came from war. All Cyan sought to do was start anew, to create a better Doma Dynasty in hopes to rival the greatness of the ones of old. However, people hadn't flocked to Doma with hands raised in the air praising his views and noble beliefs. The water still tasted bitter from the chemicals used to wash it of all poison, and the question of its purity weighed heavily in the minds of those that might settle down in his city. Cyan still remained loyal to his companions from two years ago, and those friends were located in very high places in the new government of the free world. Those that had assisted The Returners were most of what now made up the new Doma Empire. Some had seen too much death during the campaigns of the rebellion, and others had become weakened and dreary of all the fighting. They bore an undying loyalty and great adoration to the great templar knight of Old Doma. To Cyan's great appreciation, Gau had decided to call the castle of Doma his place of residence when he wasn't out in the Veldt, and became Cyan's loyal retainer. While Sabin visited from time to time on Royal business from Figaro, none of the former heroes was there more than the quickly maturing wild boy, who still enjoyed calling the king "Mr. Thou". Little by little, Doma was regaining its prestige.  
  
Cyan sat back on his throne, yawning as his sword swung back and forth, clanging against the stone base every once in a while. It was mid afternoon, but the daily lives of a peaceful kingdom were for lack of a better word, boring. A sentry entered the throne room and kneeled before his majesty.  
  
"Sire, Sir Gau approaches from the Veldt," he reported.  
  
"Be sure that he is let in," Cyan mumbled. He had not slept in a while and was groggy in his response. His eyelids felt heavy and his muscles were weary from staying up. Cyan would listen to what Gau had to say and then he could go to sleep.  
  
The grand doorway to Doma creaked and thundered as it swung open with the help of ten guardsmen. Gau was quickly greeted by the sentry when he crossed over the front gate and hopped off his chocobo. The wild bird immediately squawked and ran away, off into the bright horizon in the distance. Cyan's retainer was shown the way to the throne room out of respect for his position, but he didn't feel like walking. He started to run through the great halls of Doma to meet his friend Cyan, leaving his entourage far behind before the sentry even know what had happened. Gau was halfway to the throne room when the dark stone in his pouch brightened in color and radiated through the dense leather. Like a curious boy with a new toy, he removed it from the glowing carrying pouch and stared into its endless black and blue shine. He stared into its center until the color of his eyes synchronized with that of the materia, its unique beauty hypnotizing him. Gau's pupils dilated and then he blinked, the original color of his eyes returning. He quickly placed the gem back into his pouch and jumped onto an open window sill. The warm breeze from the nearby ocean blew over his face and he jumped, never again to be seen in Doma.  
  
Back at the other planet . . .  
  
"Finalization for launch is go," the space traffic controller announced over some loudspeakers outside the ship, "T-minus five minutes."  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Vincent grumbled as the crowd cheered from outside.  
  
Neither could the hundreds of spectators that arrived to see the days launch. Rocket Town's mayor had decided to go as far as declare today a national holiday and the whole thing had become a major fiasco. In only two days, media from around the planet and from bigger towns such as Junon and Wutai had been alerted and turned Rocket Town into a thriving spaceport. All rooms in the local inn had been rented out, and even people in the surrounding houses thought it would be wise to offer extra rooms for a substantial price. Flashbulbs exploded every other second in hopes of getting a shot of one of the crew inside, waving and screaming to get their attention. There were T-shirts, hats, and even toy model spaceships being sold. Hell, even a miniseries had been copyrighted and was in development for the future that would document the triumph of its captain and the path of his dream. Beside all the hoopla, this was a historic day in the history of the planet itself. Cid Highwind and crew were about to embark on the first deep space mission ever attempted. It wasn't a mission to blow up Meteor, or for the first space flight . . . this was a mission of exploration and discovery.  
  
Cid double-checked everything as the clock counted down the seconds. Cloud and Red were strapped into their seats by the scurrying grounds crew, both gasping as their restraints were put on a little too tight.  
  
"Thanks . . ." Red coughed as the rest of the crew hurried to make last minute adjustments then strapped themselves in.  
  
"Everything check out Shera?" Cid asked.  
  
"Yes, all systems go." Shera confirmed as she flipped the switch for the fuel injection. She had originally signed on for scientific observation on this mission, but a gut instinct told her to look out for Cid as always. Shera would never let anything bad happen to the captain. She loved him, even if he didn't acknowledge it.  
  
"Three minutes," mission control continued, a man's voice blaring over the loudspeakers. The crowd's anticipation grew after each tick of the giant countdown clock that had been constructed near the platform. The engines started to hum as the fuel started to take effect. Aeris was seconds away from her maiden voyage.  
  
"Navigation online," Shera said as she flipped another switch. A screen flickered in front of her seat before showing countless numbers and calculations about path trajectory.  
  
"Main computer online," Cid could hardly contain his excitement. He had waited forever to return to space, and this time he would be there for a couple weeks instead of a couple minutes.  
  
"One minute," the controller began to count, "59, 58, 57 . . ."  
  
"Urp!" Cloud was starting to feel not to hot. The ship began to shake and he braced himself against his seat.  
  
All of Rocket Town and a few hundred others were outside now, waiting for it to lift off. Someone was jumping up and down in the crowd trying to get their attention. The rest of the mob watched the booster rockets glow dark orange, and then the ground began to shake as the platforms rumbled.  
  
"30 seconds . . ."  
  
Red glanced out a window and caught Tifa jumping and waving with Yuffie standing on top of Barret's shoulders behind her, doing the same. "Hey Cloud!" He yelled over the engines roar, "Look out the window! Everybody came to see us off!"  
  
"T, T, T, That's . . . G, G, Great!" Cloud managed to get out before swallowing down his next words. The shaking had intensified and he was focused on not getting sick at this point. Cloud shut his eyes hard until little stars appeared. He was on the verge of showing everyone what he had for lunch today when . . .  
  
"10 seconds . . ."  
  
A giant Cait Sith jumped into the air and clapped his hands in front of the rambunctious audience, the tiny cat on its shoulder screaming through a megaphone along side mission control's countdown. The crowd counted down along with him, little kids plugging their ears as the engines sparked and the fuel was lit. Cloud kind of wished now that he had talked with Tifa and the others before he left, but due to the time restraints he would have to make due with only their adulation and cheers of encouragement.  
  
'Embrace the Cold''  
  
"5 seconds . . ."  
  
"What the? Did any of you guys hear th-" Cloud could not be heard as the roar of the engines overshadowed his question. The ship lifted off the platform roughly in a blast of white light and heat, pressing the Aeris' crew hard against their seats, keeping them from moving even an inch. Tifa and Barret were waving happily as Cloud looked out the window finally to acknowledge them. He strained a smile and shut his eyes again until he was well into the air. The force of the thrust against the ground collapsed the roof of a few nearby houses and shattered their windows. Tents that had been set up outside the city by visiting media were blown into the sky, countless colors of canvas and polyester scattering into the winds. They sped upwards at thousands of miles per hour, creeping amazingly fast out of the planet's gravitational pull.  
  
Vincent, who seemed unaffected by all of this, spoke to Cloud, "You worry too much. Relax."  
  
'Whatever,' Cloud thought angrily. Three minutes passed and the last boosters were jettisoned to finish the launch cycle. The rockets dropped back into the stratosphere and their parachutes opened, falling into the North Wutai Sea without any problems.  
  
The shaking resided soon afterwards and Cid had unbuckled his belt. He floated freely around the cabin to the navigation console and checked the ship's trajectory. "Everything looks good from here, "He announced on the intercom. "We are on course and will reach the black hole in a week. Feel free to go about your business till then."  
  
Everyone felt a quick jolt as Cid engaged the extra thrusters and unlocked two of the unneeded engines. They were on the final push to the black hole. Red saw the two rockets float away, only to be pulled back to the planet's gravitational pull and fall somewhere in the ocean. Shera was on the com with someone from mission control before they lost all contact. Red was only able to pick up the last couple words of her transmission. ". . . be back in three weeks."  
  
'Is it really going to take that long?' he wondered. Red floated back to his seat, strapped himself down, and then fell asleep. 


	3. The Child of Angels

Chapter 3: The Child of Angels  
  
The rain relentlessly poured straight down onto a weary Gabe. The priest had traveled non-stop for an entire day from lands afar back to his place of residence. He trudged up the stairs of Fanatics Tower as fast as he could, avoiding the downpour as much as possible by running close to wall. The stairs had become rusted over time and creaked with his every step. He had stopped noticing the sound long ago, but it was a great way to alert everyone in the tower that somebody was climbing the steps. Another priest in white robes passed him going down the stairs, blood staining the cloth that lay over his chest. This wasn't a good sign . . . damn, he needed to hurry now. Gabe neared the top of the building and a solitary bulb at the top outlined a small abode sitting atop the monument to Kefka. Its weak light cast subtle shadows down the stairs and flickered with the wind and poor weather. Someone screamed from inside and Gabe took the last remaining stairs at one time and darted through the door.  
  
It was mass hysteria inside the small bedroom. A place that had once been occupied by the mighty Kefka as his temporary throne was now flooded with the people from all levels of the tower. Priests and priestesses scurried like little ants through the doors, grabbing cloth and hot water for the person they were trying to help. Another scream rang out and Gabe dashed around a corner and into the main bedroom.  
  
"Am I too late?" Gabe asked a doctor, his chest heaving in exhaustion.  
  
"No, not yet. She is due in another minute or so." The doctor told him impatiently, trying to get everything he needed for the delivery.  
  
Gabe grabbed a sterile white robe from a post on the wall and slipped into it as he approached the bed. The burgundy sheets of velvet from the bed had been flung around wildly and the pillows had been ripped to shreds. Anybody working close to the bed had to be cautious not to slip on the chocobo feathers that had fallen and now littered the floor. The proud farther walked closer to the crowded bed, seeing two priests grabbing their hands in pain as they walked away from the bedside.  
  
"GET RID OF THIS PAIN!" the woman sprawled on the bed cried in agony. It was the high priestess of Fanatics Tower and she was finally going to have her baby. Gabe immediately rushed over to her side and began to comfort her, placing another pillow behind her back to ease her discomfort.  
  
"Cirra," he calmly said as he became lost in her deep green eyes, "I'm sorry that I'm late, but it couldn't be helped. I only just recently obtained the news on my travels."  
  
"It's alright," she breathed faster as the contractions grew closer together. Gabe laid her hand in his and ran his other hand through Cirra's smooth, blonde hair. He did it in a soothing motion to try and relax her in this trying and stressful moment, then kissed her gently on the forehead after a priest wet it down with a cool cloth. Gabe saw that his presence was helping his wife and so he continued to play with her hair, causing Cirra to close her eyes and relax.  
  
"You're doing great Cirra, keep it together!" Gabe encouraged her, watching tears drop from her eyes as she pushed even harder.  
  
"Take deep breaths," a doctor instructed as he watched over her body for signs of the imminent child.  
  
Cirra grabbed Gabe's hand hard but he never flinched. He remained steadfast and loyal, offering his warmth and words of praise. She had both power and great strength for someone in her position, which was why she had been chosen to lead after Kefka's untimely death. Gabe had been courting her since he was a lowly priest himself a few years ago, and she a high priestess in training. They both gazed compassionately into each other's soulful eyes, Cirra grabbing his neck and bringing him closer to kiss as another contraction came on. His blue eyes reflected into hers as she painfully showed him a smile to thank him for his support.  
  
"It's coming!" A priestess announced joyfully, "I can see a head!"  
  
"You hear that? You're doing great!" Gabe whispered closely into Cirra's ear. She graciously accepted the compliment and began to push as hard as she could manage without passing out.  
  
"I'm going to need you to push harder," the doctor yelled over her screams of pain.  
  
She gritted her teeth and pushed harder. Every muscle in her body straining as she continued to push and breathe, push and breathe. Just as she was about to pass out, a baby whined.  
  
"Congratulations!" a priestess exclaimed, "It's a GIRL!"  
  
Cirra and Gabe were both overwhelmed with this miracle of life and wept tears of joy. They had brought such a beautiful little person into the world . . . The baby girl, wrapped in a blanket, was handed to her mother for her to cradle and love for the time being.  
  
"She looks just like her mother," Gabe pointed out, smirking as he did so, "That cute little nose, those beautiful eyes . . ." Cirra cried and held Gabe close to her, putting her forehead tightly against his.  
  
"So, what name have you been thinking of? I know that we were still deciding the other day but-"  
  
"Phoebe," Cirra said, "lovely little Phoebe."  
  
A priest draped in red robes and sashes came in the room after Cirra had a couple minutes with her child and took the baby away to be cleaned and christened. Unknown to the baby, she would become the next high priestess after her mother's term was up. It was how Cirra had come by her position and it was the same for her mother before her. The tower had always been a site for some type of cult at one time or another, and lately the religion had been switched over to Kefka-ism. It was tradition to be carried on for all eternity as long people believed in worshipping deities. They would always need somebody to lead them, somebody to bring the weak-willed together in their faith.  
  
Everyone had left the room once the christening priest had departed, leaving Gabe and Cirra by themselves. They stared into each others eyes, the window to their souls . . . Gabe rested his head on Cirra's breast to listen to her fast beating heart slow, and her right hand stroked his burnt sienna colored hair. They gazed one last time at each other and he kissed her.  
  
"You did wonderfully," Gabe commented Cirra. She looked at him lovingly and pulled him closer to her. Her hand grasped his and they passionately kissed for what seemed like forever. Gabe laid her head back onto a pillow delicately, knowing that Cirra would need to get some sleep. She needed much rest after this stressful ordeal.  
  
"Gabe . . . I'm sorry," Cirra mouthed quietly, her blonde hair wet from sweet and strewn about the velvet pillow she lay on.  
  
"For what?" he asked, kissing her on the lips once more as she rested. The soon to be high priest pulled away from his wife's lips as slow as he could, making a puckering sound as he did so. The whole time he never looked away from her and she closed her eyes. They then loosened their grip and Gabe expected for Cirra to slowly let her hand fall to the soft and waiting sheets below. Instead, her hand fell like a leaf in fall, gracefully and gently to the bed but dead in appearance. At the same moment that occurred Cirra's husband glanced at her face and noticed that it had lost all of its color. In the dire moment that proceeded, her body laid totally still on the bed. Worried, Gabe checked her breathing, only to hear nothing. The blood in her veins grew cold and her lips faded to a bluish hue. He checked her pulse, but not a single beat could be felt.  
  
"No, Noooo!!!!" Gabe yelled frantically, "This can't be happening! NO! Someone help me!! Doctors come quick!" He got into the bed with Cirra and raised her body so he could hold her tightly in his arms.  
  
Two doctors quickly ran into the room and noticed Cirra's unresponsive condition. After ripping Gabe's arms from around her, they laid her down once again in the bed. The first doctor jumped quickly up onto the bed and tried CPR on the unresponsive priestess. He tried for a couple minutes, blowing into her mouth while holding her nose, and when he became winded, the other took over. They tried for ten minutes, stimulating her heart and putting their entire breaths into her lungs, but to no change in her condition. As a foreshadowing of her future, the baby cried uncontrollably in the other room as though it knew what had just happened, leading Gabe to bow his head in mourning and silence. A single tear trickled down his cheek. Why? Why did this have to happen? She was so young . . .  
  
One of the doctors went over to the bed and pulled a sheet over her cold, limp body. Cirra was dead. 


	4. Escape From Fanatics Tower

Chapter 4: **Escape From Fanatic's Tower  
  
**Edgar and his bodyguard adjusted their hoods to get a better glimpse of Gabe in his saddened state. For the last ten minutes, the broad shouldered brute had been slumped down in a chair in front of Cirra's bed, wallowing in his misery. Gabe's knees were shaking from pain that tormented him from the inside, and his head was buried behind the huge hands that clasped around his neck and pulled it downward.  
  
"I feel sorry for the guy," the bodyguard whispered to Edgar from under his soaked, baggy cloak.  
  
"He's our enemy though. Nobody deserves to have a loved one die in their hands, and his wife was a beautiful woman in her prime . . . but she was our enemy also. In war, you can hold no pity for the other side, remember that. If you get too soft, you'll get killed. I want to say that I'm happy at the turn of events Mik, that we can catch them off guard easily, but . . . how tragic, "Edgar's voice trailed off. The two spies cautiously backed away from the entrance and stepped softly so as not to attract any attention to themselves. As they strayed away further, Edgar heard something like a rock skitter across the ground behind him. He looked back just in time to see a sword swing down and stop less than an inch away from his brow. The king of Figaro breathed hard, his hood falling back from his face showing his look of fear, thinking that they had been caught . . . but they hadn't, "Shadow!"  
  
"You guys are too loud. It's amazing that you haven't been captured yet," the mysterious ninja confronted the two of them, his voice a mere decibel above the silence around them. Mik took his hand away from the grip on his dagger and walked towards Shadow, watching him as he dragged his katana over the edge of its sheath before sliding it back into the black leather. The downpour that had fallen earlier was now no more than a drizzle, and a cool breeze refreshed the weary spies as they traded information.  
  
"Damn!" Edgar whispered. There was a hint of anger in his voice, "don't scare me like that! I need to tell you about-"  
  
"There's no time. I saw some tower attendants coming your way, we should leave this place immediately," Shadow commanded, his voice still slightly agitated.  
  
"Alright, "Mik replied rather loudly. The shuffle of footsteps could be heard rounding the corner nearest to them as they pulled their hoods back down.  
  
"Quiet! Against the wall now!" Shadow did a graceful back flip and landed on the rooftop of the small building, his dark and durable Genji gear concealing him well with the light of night. Mik and Edgar pulled their hoods down farther to conceal their faces and prayed to god that they wouldn't be caught. A small group of priests slowly filed past Mik and Edgar, chanting words of mourning for their fallen priestess. A guard followed closely behind the progression, mourning Cirra's death as well. He noticed the two shady looking figures hunched against the wall and was curious as to why they weren't joining the progression.  
  
"Aren't you going to the ceremony?" the guard pressured them both, getting close enough to them that they could see his breath in the cold night air.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Edgar quipped. He quickly pat Mik on the back, making him cough, "but my comrade here isn't feeling too well,"  
  
"I see. I hope he feels better, we all feel horrible on this dark day. Did you bring some offerings? I could take them for you if you want me too. Hopefully our sacrifices will appease Kefka so that he might ease our sorrow," the guard continued, pushing them for answers. Edgar shook his head no, and his nonchalant attitude seemed to get the zealot angry.  
  
"Yes we did. I am giving our finest bottles of wine that were used in times of celebration to Kefka. Would you like to see them?" Mik blurted out before Edgar could cover for them.  
  
"Wine?! Wine is forbidden on these sacred grounds! Everybody knows that, so this must mean . . . IMPOSTERS!" The guard yelled as he snatched the cloak off of Edgar's body, revealing his wondrously bright, light blue chain mail armor underneath.  
  
Mik reached into his robe and acted with lightning quick reflexes, "You're right!" the bodyguard's hand grabbed the dirk from his belt and embedded directly into the guard's throat. Before the tower sentry could react, his attacker clutched his throat and slit it. The dying man frantically tried to yell, but blood gushed out of his wound instead of words. He tried to loosen Mik's grip but he held strong, causing the blood to pour out even more. The guard soon gave up and dropped to the ground with a dull thud, his eyes wide open in horror. Edgar's bodyguard took the underside of his robe and cleansed the knife of its recent sin, then put the trusty dirk back in its sheath, patting it with pride.  
  
Shadow hurriedly came down from his silent perch and punched Mik in the jaw. "You idiot! Our cover is blown! We have to leave right now!" Shadow told the short-tempered bodyguard with narrowing eyes and flaring nostrils.  
  
As Shadow turned his back and began to walk down the steps, Mik jumped back at him swinging. He would have hit Shadow if his fist hadn't been stopped by Edgar, "C'mon, lets just get out of here," he remarked, "We can talk about this later."  
  
The three of them moved down the creaky steps of the huge building as fast as they could. Shadow had led them no more than twelve floors down when a scream rang out from above. A commotion could be heard brewing up a couple flights of stairs and a person suddenly leaned over the railing, spotting them. "THERE ARE THE MURDERERS! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY! KILL THE INTRUDERS!"  
  
"Shit," Edgar said in an annoyed tone, "Ditch the robes, we've been identified," Mik hesitated, "Come on get your butts in gear!"  
  
A bell echoed through the upper levels and alerted all that had been sleeping at the tower of their presence. It was normally used to signal the beginning of worship for Kefka's followers, but on this damp night, it was being used to help catch escaping spies.  
  
Shadow glanced below them past the thousands of feet steel and saw members of the cult clamoring up the steps at the base of the tower. From their height of 50 floors up, it looked like ants were stampeding over each other, trampling one another to get a bite of sugar. Edgar and Mik had been aware of this after having staked out the establishment and the customs of this cult for the last month, and they also knew the fanatics were bloodthirsty warriors. The cult was very quick to worship, usually congregating in less than ten minutes once the signal had been given. The vengeful screams from above traveled much easier through the dark night now that the rain had stopped, and everybody was alerted to their presence now. They had no choice but to ready their weapons as they ran down the stairs. As much as they didn't want to, the group knew that there was going to be a one hell of a brawl tonight.  
  
Shadow's Stunner gleamed in the starlight as he ran down the stairs as fast as he could, cutting the distance between himself and his foes in half in a matter of a few seconds. In a continuous clamor coming from above, more waking followers had stumbled out of their rooms. As he ran by an opening door, Mik slammed its inhabitant in the face and knocked him onto the floor. It would only be a matter of time before the spies were cut off. Edgar drew his Falchion broadsword from a deep sheath on his back as he rounded the next flight of stairs, jumping down a few steps with a loud clang from his boots. It was a fairly big sword, as sharp as a diamond and strong enough to pierce an adamantine's shell. The wonderful craftsmanship drew respect from its allies, and fear from its foes.  
  
The bell resonated through the metal stairs a second time as a second person sounded the alarm from below. The party was trapped from going in either direction now. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide . . .  
  
The first group of cult members and priests moved in for the kill, crawling down the stairs from above cautiously and sneaking from below quietly. They slowly encircled the group, staffs raised and swords shimmering. Shadow organized his friends into a triangle formation, their backs leaning up against one another as they waited for the first strike.  
  
"Look at them, they're shaking. They are weak . . . "Shadow stated, "Only the weak think they'll lose."  
  
Gabe was a couple floors above them and yelled out to the first wave to kill the spies. The first battalion of priests rushed excitedly down the stairs, kept at bay by Shadow as he flung swarms of ninja stars in their direction. The nasty metal projectiles whistled in the air, their sharp prongs embedding deeply into the soft flesh of the attackers, keeping the top levels from advancing down any further towards them. Some brave souls ran down to battle, their weapons raised and battle cries escaping their lips, not caring if they would die or not. They were massacred sooner than they could cry out as small shinai's plunged into their throats. The razor sharp blades of the versatile weapons gouged deep into their skin, creating a wound that could not close even when pulled out.  
  
Shadow's deadly accuracy started to pile dozens of bodies against the wall, bodies flying over the rails as soon as they came into view of the dark shinobi. He hit the robed figures in the fleshy spot of their necks, targeting their main artery. Blood would spray out and coat the white robes of the priests, but the crazy mob would keep on coming. If Shadow missed with the first attack, he would always follow up with a handful of shruikens into their chest. His victims would double over in pain, but the insane mob would toss their bodies over the edge just to get the spies' blood on their swords.  
  
"I can't hold them off forever guys! If we're going to do something, we need to do it NOW! Think of something quick before I have to, and believe me, you don't want to know what I have in mind!" Shadow shot over to the others as they struggled to gain ground against the priests coming from below. His sheathes of weaponry were becoming empty . . . soon it would be hand to hand combat.  
  
"We're trying!" Edgar shot back as he unloaded a round of arrows from his Auto crossbow. With a pull of the trigger the wire snapped forward from Edgar's weapon and five arrows whistled through the air. All the quintuple set of shafts found their mark with lightning quick speed, sending five cult members screaming over the edge of the stairway to their deaths far below. The Auto-Crossbow was a very powerful weapon and also an easy one to use. All it needed was reloading, the wire would always snap back into position each time it was shot ready for the next attack. Edgar loaded it like mad, unleashing a violent storm of arrows down the stairs.  
  
The fanatics roared in anger as their comrades continued to fall off the tower, the terrified screams already haunting them, driving everyone into an even deeper frenzy. The priests wouldn't be sitting ducks for these infidels! The unanimously decided to charge all at once to escape that horrible fate. The sudden chaos caused Mik to draw out his second dagger, an Assassin blade tipped with poison, and for Edgar to toss his worthless, empty Crossbow over the edge of the tower. Edgar smiled, lowering his head and getting ready to attack with his sword as all the priests seemed to explode off the flight of stairs and charge him. Mik jumped in front of him as the first assailant slashed with his weapon, drawing the heat from the King of Figaro and parrying it to the side. Before he had a chance to counterattack, Edgar's bodyguard became locked in mortal combat with another cult member. Both daggers clanged against two attacks, his strength and agility easily outmatching their own. It was his job to protect Edgar, and this time was as good as any to earn his pay.  
  
Each of Mik's swipes struck true, slicing the wrists and throats of the priests with unavoidable speed. He jumped up, latching onto the metal stairway above and kicking his foes in the face. The blood in his veins boiled with adrenaline, making him stronger than he ever thought possible. Looking over, Edgar was swinging his hefty great sword around with skillful ease, knocking away his opponent's weapons or chopping them in half. The priests tried striking when he was building up momentum with the blade, but he was so quick in utilizing the leverage of the massive blade that those foolhardy men found their chests cut open and their blood gushing down the welded floor. He left the first line of victims keeling over in pain and moved onto the next one. This continued to happen at a faster and faster pace, as soon as the current battler was dispatched, another took his place. Things were starting to get ugly . . .  
  
Mik performed a hard uppercut with his dirk as yet another combatant blindly charged him, dragging the knife along the warrior's stomach and chest, spilling his insides onto the floor.  
  
Tired of letting Mik have all the fun, Edgar charged at his enemies with the Falchion raised and swung it low. The mighty saber cut through flesh and bone upon entering the body of his enemy and sent his legs flying over the edge of the railing. Dark-blue blood drained from the cult member's nub and drenched those still climbing the steps below causing some to slip. Edgar swiftly stabbed downwards to silence the disabled mans screams and moved onto the rest of the endless throng of fearless priests.  
  
"I'm out of stars," Shadow told the others as he took out his Stunner. The graceful ninja backed up in defense as the priest's attack finally begun. Some of them had small knives and the others had five foot wooden staffs . . . but it wasn't a problem for Shadow in the heat of battle. He grabbed a staff in a lightning fast maneuver as it came towards his face, spinning down it until he drove the serrated dagger through the attacker's chest. The staff dropped form the man's hands and into Shadow's. He dug it into the ground and vaulted himself forward, jump kicking a priestess in the face. Shadow moved like a fish in water, each movement with purpose and power. His fluidity allowed him to avoid all attacks, redirecting the weak grip of those priests with knives into stabbing one of their own. As they gasped in shock, the shinobi delivered blow after painful blow into their jaws and necks, destroying their tracheas. He used both weapons efficiently in each hand, always landing a solid hit and disabling an attacker. During the latest melee, Edgar and his group had been pushed backwards into each other and were now fighting a complete circle of enemies. Bodies of moaning, fallen flows were everywhere, but the stream of warriors proved to be endless. They managed to create a small gap in their circle for their escape, but there was a small problem . . . it was the railing.  
  
"We're going to have to jump! "Mik yelled over the clang of swords and the bone crunching sound of fists upon faces.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Edgar hastily replied just as he got struck in the face by a staff. He retaliated by using his Bio Blaster. A green wind shot out of the gun towards the stairs and infected anybody that inhaled the thick mist. Cult members in that direction dropped their weapons and put their hands over their mouth trying to not breathe it in, but it was too late. Each of them began to uncontrollably cough and grasp at their throats as their airways became swollen shut. The lethal poison quickly did its work, turning their skin greenish brown as it bubbled through their bloodstream.  
  
"That was my plan all along,"Shadow calmly agreed.  
  
"Shit . . ." with that Edgar threw his gun down and took out the final toy from his bag of tricks. He put on some industrial tinted goggles and unfolded the gun into an intricate system of mirrors that would intensify the flash, "Get ready!" he grinned as the ray charged at the center of the gun. Shadow and Mik shielded their eyes and buried their faces as the trigger was pulled. Edgar waited a few seconds as the fanatics started to swarm, making sure the light would hit everyone, and then performed the devastating attack. A light brighter than the sun itself flashed outward from hundreds of mirrors into the eyes of the priests that had their eyes open. It burned their retinas instantly, causing many to cry out in pain as their optical nerves were seared apart.  
  
"Ahh my eyes!" a priestess exclaimed, crying out in anguish before toppling over the railing.  
  
"I'm blind, I can't see!" one of the charging priests screamed right before running into a harsh wall of the tower and knocking himself unconscious. The affect was the same above and below. Many crouched and grabbed their eyes, and others grasped the railing so they wouldn't fall over the edge. Some in front had fallen on their weapons and were now dying, unable to see. Their attackers were incapacitated for the moment, so Shadow and Mik made their way to the railing as quickly as they could.  
  
"Come on Edgar!" Mik yelled as he put one hand on the railing and reached for the king with the other. Edgar set down his bulky weapon and ran as fast as he could towards the edge. Like a bird that was casually taking flight, Shadow mounted the railing and pushed off the edge. He flew straight out a few feet before gravity took hold and arched his body downward, unafraid of the open breeze of the sky. Soon after he put his arms to his side and went into a full nosedive, gaining as much speed as possible while arrows flew harmlessly past him, unable to match him.  
  
"Ahh, what the hell," Mik followed Shadow's lead as Edgar got to the railing. He cautiously stepped on the railing like a baby bird learning to fly, but hearing Edgar's steps quickly behind him he jumped, "Geronimo!!"  
  
People all around were rubbing their eyes, straining to see. They made out a form in the direction of the railing and stumbled in Edgar's direction. The king of Figaro didn't bother to look back and positioned himself quickly on the slippery metal railing. He leapt over confidently into freedom just as someone grabbed his leg. He had only enough time to twist his body around and see who grabbed him. It was the man that had lost his wife, had his worshippers killed, and his tower defiled. It was the highest priest of Fanatics Tower, Gabe. His enraged face was the last thing Edgar saw before he swung back towards the building and slammed into its side, knocking him unconscious.  
  
**  
**  
Mik turned his body around after he heard the sound of metal bang on something hard and saw Gabe holding Edgar by the feet. Blood dripped from Edgar's forehead, slowly rushing into his hair before dripping downwards. That was all Mik could make out as he passed by the 50th floor, falling extremely fast. He had picked up too much speed since he had first leapt off. The wind roared into his eyes and ears as he fell, numbing his senses. The lack of control Mik in his current situation, Edgar being captured . . . it had seemed that somebody was telling him that fate would decide what would happen, that he was powerless to stop the turn of events. His shoulder-length black hair whipped around his head as he fell even faster towards his the foggy ground thousand of feet below. The sullen bodyguard was traveling faster than any man had gone before, and had just fallen past the 32nd floor. Edgar's former defender was 32 floors away from his death, 32 away from the "Ultimate Beyond". Shadow was no better off as he barely was able to see the black figure below him in the morning light of dawn. Mik looked down in fear to see the earth approaching him with alarmingly speed, but at that moment a great peace came over him.  
  
'Shadow knew we wouldn't make it,' he thought to himself as he looked over at the blur of metal to the right, 'he knew it but he still insisted we jump. Well, it's better off that we suffer a quick death other than a slow painful one through torture. Shadow was thinking of our well being . . . like I should have been doing for Edgar. I am so ashamed of what happened, what will become of the king? I'm his bodyguard, I was sworn to protect him . . . but now . . . I have committed a heinous crime. I must atone for my sin'  
  
His final moments decided, Mik awaited the imminent impact. It would kill him instantly no doubt, at least that is what he hoped for. He didn't want to imagine what could happen if he survived the fall somehow. Fifteen floors to go, the wind suddenly grew louder, almost deafening.  
  
'What the!? That's not wind!' Mik thought as he struggled to focus on the noise.  
  
Out of nowhere the Falcon swooped down out of the parting storm clouds and intercepted the descending escapees. Its massive engines roared as Shadow and Mik both landed on the soft top of the balloon, saving them mere seconds from certain doom. Each breathed a sigh of relief and rolled over till they reached a rope ladder. In a matter of seconds, the Falcon was miles away from the dreaded tower, and the invaders could breathe a sigh of needed relief. As Mik descended down the twisted twine as carefully as he could, he painfully watched as Shadow just jumped down to the deck. Mik let go of the rope and fell the remaining five feet to the deck, his feet slamming hard on the wood and metal planks as Setzer came into view. With a fake, huge smile on his face, Edgar's bodyguard walked over.  
  
"Setzer, you bastard!" Mik yelled appreciatively as he approached the pilot, "God I love you man!"  
  
"That sure was one of my more daring maneuvers," Setzer bragged as he was crushed in a bear hug, "Where's Edgar?"  
  
Mik's expression changed just as quickly as the wind, his head bowed in solemn prayer, "He didn't make the jump, they captured him," it was almost too hard for him to continue, "It's all my fault Setzer! I should have made the last jump after he went over, but . . ." Mik explained, grabbing the gambler/pilot's shoulders hard and shaking them. Shadow glared at Mik disgustingly, he was disappointed at the so-called 'bodyguard' but was at fault as much as Mik was. Not wanting to deal with the new problem, the mysterious fighter quickly went down the stairs to the main hall of the Falcon and out of sight. "Where the heck is he going?" Mik asked, letting Setzer go on his way as he chased the man clad in black gear.  
  
Setzer was afraid as well and sad at the same time at this horrid turn of events. Many would miss Edgar Roni Figaro, the rightful king of Figaro and new leader of the revolutionist group The Returners. But not more so than by his own brother, Sabin. As he turned the wheel in the direction of Narshe, Setzer bowed his head and whispered some words to himself, "You better get through this Edgar, we need you."  
  
**Near Narshe**  
  
Mik returned to the upper deck after an exhausting search below for Shadow. There were no traces of him in the engine room, main hall, or even in the casino room. He just gave up after a half hour of searching realizing that Shadow probably did not want to be found. When the ninja became like that, it was near impossible to locate him.  
  
There were too many things going on in Mik's life right now to worry about only one thing. He closed his eyes, deep in thought, and let the cool sea breeze caress his sore muscles and broken heart. It was great therapy for him, very calming and soothing for someone that had been through hell and back in less than 24 hours. Mik rarely got to travel on the Falcon, so he wanted to treat it as an experience while it lasted. He walked to the front of the airship so that he would be the first to see Narshe appear over the horizon. He hadn't been home for just about over a year. It would actually be a year next month that he left Narshe in hope of becoming a Returner. His mother and sister would be proud to see the kind of man he had become. They both had moved there shortly after he left, but were keeping in touch through monthly correspondence . . . it had been decades since they last saw each other. They knew nothing of his past, and he would keep it that way.  
  
Mik breathed in the wandering mountain air in anticipation. His nostrils caught a faint scent of coal smoke mixed with the cool mountain air, "We're real close," he nodded towards Setzer. Shadow mysteriously appeared from the lower decks and joined him at the bow of the ship, "Nice of you to join us," Mik said nonchalantly to his friend without looking over. Setzer's black cape fluttered wildly behind his body as he flew the ship closer to the water, as close as the Falcon could. The seawater was stirred up by the Falcon's low altitude, rushing over the bow sporadically and spraying into Mik's face. Using his hand Mik wiped the mist from his face and through his raven colored hair, he didn't mind.  
  
As the water droplets accumulated and dripped from his faceguard, Shadow's eyes closed. "How do you feel about going home?" There was a hint of jealousy in his voice and Mik was about to reply, but as he opened his mouth to speak, the northern sky suddenly glowed red-orange. Fire seemed to rain down in all directions as they were welcomed to a hellish Narshe.


	5. Black What?

Chapter 5: **Black What?  
**  
**Half an hour from black hole . . .  
**  
"We'll reach safe distance from the astral object in twenty minutes," Shera informed Cid, "firing retro rockets now." She flicked two switches above the control console and a quick controlled burst from the nose greatly slowed down _The Aeris_, positioning the ship into a safe orbit so crew could observe the black hole. Life amongst the ship was slowly returning, people out of their seats and floating about, carrying on simple tasks to assure the smooth running of the giant rocket.  
  
Curious, the only animal in the entire crew trotted up to the science station, his paws lightly padding over cold metal surface with little weight, "Wow, we've come quite a long distance," Red declared, tapping a button as he leaned up and checked the mission log. It had been about a week and a half since the start of their mission, and absolutely nothing had happened during that time. After the surprise of being in space left them, the emptiness of space reminded calmed their nerves and created an endless wallpaper of stars that quickly bored the crew. Some would question why they were out on this mission, but each time Red XIII went around the cabin, talking excitedly to the crew about this discovery, they couldn't help but be energized and await their arrival at the Black Hole.  
  
"Yeah," Cid added, "never would have thought she could go this far on her very first voyage. I know how to build them, don't I?" He slapped the hull of the ship, accidentally firing a probe into direction of the anomaly, "Awww shit!"  
  
Shera cleared her throat and quickly typed instructions to the spherical drone before any harm had been done and corrected its course, "If you're done bragging, let me take care of the rest, okay honey?" she snidely remarked, "There are a few modifications that I added to the ship, so you should watch what you touch."  
  
After Cid finished his little session with Red, the whole cabin went into silence. The crew was anxious and nervous waiting for the data to return from the pod, and they had a right to be. Cid and Nanaki's ambitious expedition would be the first to observe and record information about a black hole, more importantly, from the actual vicinity of one. In the past it had been all done with theorized mathematical equations and powerful telescopes that 'guessed' where black holes were due to distortions in space. No more guessing would ever again be needed once they returned with a plethora of raw information. All theories concerning the mysterious phenomena could be put to rest. It would all be able to be proved now with Shera and Nanaki's findings, and they would become scientific heroes among the academic elite. The silence carried on for a couple more minutes until Cloud started to freak out because of creaking noises throughout the ship.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Cloud began to panic, holding onto his chair tightly.  
  
"Don't worry," Shera assured him, "that's the hull shrinking from the pressure being exerted by the black hole's gravity. I specifically modified the structure of the ship to not buckle under the gravity's pull, but to bend with it instead. We are perfectly safe, so just relax, okay?" Shera flipped a switch and Aeris came to a complete stop, gently rotating in a soft spin, "Okay Nanaki, you can begin your testing now," she paged Red over the intercom, "just don't move the ship any closer, okay?" The sarcastic tone in her voice sounded like she was joking, but the scientist was DEAD serious.  
  
Red's ears popped up in anticipation, "Vincent, could you help me out at the science station?" Red asked, looking up to his friend. He was really the only person the ancient could ask. He never quite trusted Cloud with electronics again after he lost to the computer in the Submarine game at the Gold Saucer and sliced the control panel in half.  
  
"Fine, lead the way," he responded emotionlessly, but he was actually happy just to have something to do. The former employee of Shinra had some experience with computers as a Turk, and wouldn't be totally lost around a keyboard. He pulled a collapsible chair from the wall near the science cluster and strapped into it, the little gravity on the ship barely holding him there.  
  
"Okay, I want to begin by scanning for Alpha radiation particles in this region," Nanaki informed Vincent, looking at the second monitor for results.  
  
Vincent nodded his head and typed "Alpha Radiation" in the search mode. After fifteen minutes of scanning the entire area, a report came back to the main terminal. "Minimal. Probably means that type of radiation isn't emitted from the black whole," Vincent replied as Nanaki jumped up and put his paws against the wall so he could check out the screen better.  
  
"Hmmm, print out that screen for the records," Red ordered, "let's see . . . okay, next scan for Beta radiation."  
  
Another twenty minutes passed. "Nothing," Vincent zipped as he hit the print key before being told to do so again. Gamma and Theta radiation were also check, but both came back nil.  
  
Nanaki was deep in thought. He was busy talking to himself, "No Alpha or Beta radiation, that's weird," Red thought aloud, "usually collapsed stars give off some type of residual radiation," He paced back and forth in the twenty feet by twenty feet observation room, walking in a long oval. It was a decent sized room, that is, it was until all the gadgets and machines were installed. Now it was just another cramped cabin in the spaceship.  
  
"Let's take a break," Vincent suggested, popping his joints to show his discomfort at a terminal. They had already been working for over an hour and had nothing to show for it.  
  
"No!" Red defensively declared to Vincent," wait, I have another idea. Look for neutron particles. Gast's Law dictated that all dead matter gives off neutron particles."  
  
Vincent initiated the scanning program. The minutes ticked by in a slowed state of time as Red went through the results of the previous tests again and again. After a half hour of waiting patiently, the report came back. "There's . . ." Vincent started.  
  
"What?" Nanaki wagged his tail fast, waiting for the verdict. He stared at Vincent almost eerily with joy.  
  
"Nothing," Vincent finished.  
  
Nanaki's jaw dropped. "That is impossible! Stars collapse into dwarf or neutron stars after they expend their fuel or when they become unstable and explode to form black holes. Either way there must be traces of these particles here! The book of Life at Cosmo Canyon said it was so," Red stated in a matter of fact type of voice. He then continued to ponder his choices and re-evaluated the situation he was in. The student and adopted son of Bugenhagen wouldn't dare question the book's teachings, but what if it was wrong?  
  
Cloud ventured inside the room to see what all the commotion was about, "What's going on in here?" he asked Red, only slightly interested.  
  
Vincent, seeing that the dog was ignoring Cloud and only getting deeper in thought, answered his query, "Nothing, Nanaki has become frustrated over the results of his tests. That's all"  
  
"Well I hope –"Cloud was interrupted by the tumbling of materia from his armor, "Crap . . ." he chased after the orb and was about to grab it when the red-bronze colored canine put his paw over it.  
  
"Wait a sec," Red began, "Cloud, you just gave me an idea! Vincent, do a bio-scan and look for any traces of Mako!"  
  
Vincent nodded and seemed to smirk under the collar of his crimson cape as he waited for the results. He seemed to second-guess Red's every decision at this point, and had a feeling it was pointless, but he did it anyway to humor his friend. Everyone waited anxiously for the results, except for Vincent. Fifteen minutes passed, and when the screen came back on, he took a step back. "I don't believe it . . ."Vincent admitted, stunned.  
  
"It looks like a Christmas tree with all those lights on it," Cloud pointed out, moving his finger along the flat screen panel of the monitor on the wall.  
  
Red got on his hind legs and checked out his findings, "Sure it looks spread out now, but the main concentration is centered somewhere in the middle of this thing," Red deduced. "Something big, and I mean BIG with a large concentration of Mako went through here. The particles show no sign of distortion or anything at any part of this trail on this bio scan. My friends, I don't think that this is a black hole any more. Whatever was here before us . . . it changed something."  
  
Cloud and Vincent nodded in agreement and Red looked at Vincent intently, but had no idea what he was getting at.  
  
"What?" Vincent asked.  
  
"Press the print key, and get Shera down here! I'm gonna need her expertise right away!" Red growled at him. Vincent was a little angered at Nanaki's rudeness but did so anyways. If this wasn't a black hole, then what exactly had they found out here? 


	6. The Search for Gau

Chapter 6: **The Search for Gau**  
  
Cyan awoke from his nap late in the day. The sun was already setting in the northwest and the castle was growing darker by the minute, long shadows streaming through the windows as the light waned. The sky had become a delicate shade of maroon and puffs of clouds from a partly cloudy day gently floated by overhead. Disoriented, Cyan awoke from a shallow dream, almost falling out of his seat before getting his bearings. Realizing that he shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place, the former Doma Retainer called for one of the squires talking with another near the door by tapping his sword on the ground.  
  
The one on the right quickly appeared in front of his liege while the other came to immediate attention, "You called sire?" The squire asked as he got on one knee and bowed his head down.  
  
"Yes. I was told Sir Gau was here, yet he was not shown in! How do you mean to explain this?" Cyan snapped.  
  
"Well, sire . . . we meant to tell you but you were fast asleep at the time and we thought it wise not to wake you," the knight-in-training rebutted.  
  
"Tell me what?" Cyan asked as he stood up and adjusted his armor. The hilt of his sword had dug into his side as he had snored atop the throne, causing everything to shift and cause him discomfort.  
  
"He left. We saw him go up the stairs to come here to meat with you, but then he rushed back downstairs a couple minutes later, clutching something in his hand with a paranoid look on his face," the boy explained.  
  
"I think it was glowing!" the other guard quipped in, interrupting. He was met with an indifferent stare by the king but then quickly added, "he didn't say goodbye either . . ."  
  
Cyan thought that it was weird of Gau to do something like. It just wasn't like him to pass up a meeting with a friend he held in such high regard. Cyan chuckled as he walked away from his throne, remembering the days when the wild boy and himself first met. Then he was known only as Mr. Thou, "Where are you going sire?" The squire wondered, tagging along as he walked over the burgundy carpet of the throne room and towards the stairs to the stables.  
  
"To find Gau and you're going to accompany me," he said, smiling as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the young boy, "Ready the chocobos!" Cyan yelled with vigor through the lower levels of the castle. Another yell repeating his command echoed to another person on the level below, and that person yelled to the next one and so forth until the order reached its destination. Without question the boy followed him and observed the workings of Doma as the whole castle seemed to be preparing for their departure. After walking through a maze of hallways and doorways, they arrived at the stables to find two stalls with sturdy and ready chocobos waiting for them. They warked and shifted about as bridles were put under their beaks and pouches were mounted on their backs. The boy was handed a short sword in a sheath that was quickly tied around his waist and a small, versatile Buckler shield was tied to his back against his wishes. Working fast and efficiently, the stable hands grabbed the young lad by the shoulders and raised him to the bird's saddle. The head breeders walked around the chocobos, double checking that everything was properly tied and tightened around each bird as their humble lord easily mounted his royal, feathered escort, "What's your name squire?" Cyan asked. He tossed him an extra pouch of feed for the bird and the boy lunged forward, grabbing it but almost falling off before catching himself on the saddle.  
  
Blushing from near embarrassment, the boy spoke up. "Baram," he told Cyan, straightening his body on the bird and putting his legs in the stirrups, "Baram Arrowny at your disposal sire," Cyan raised an eyebrow as this name was revealed to him. It seemed like a name he had always known, so familiar, yet so foreign. Where had he heard that name before?  
  
He shrugged it off as unimportant and gave his mighty bird a gentle nudge with his boots, "Ye-aww!" Cyan shouted, coaxing the chocobo out of the pen, the other one slowly filing in behind him as the two made their way towards the exit. With any luck, they would find Gau soon and find out what this whole misunderstanding was about. But when the doors of the stable doors swung open and the cold wind blew the hay lining the floors outside, their hopes dwindled. The sun was less than an hour away from setting and dark clouds were a precursor to a long and arduous journey.  
  
**Main Land, Middle Continent**  
  
Gau set his feet on the beach near Nikeah for the first time in almost two years. The sand was soft and soothing on his calloused heels, passing harmlessly through his toes with each step. He was unaware on how he had arrived on this beach though. It was like he had merely just awakened from a dream after falling out of a bed, but how far had he fallen? His head was swirling in thought and was in a constant state of flux, wondering how he had crossed the Doma Sea without remembering it. He continued walking the unbeaten path down the lengthy isthmus that also contained Kefka's fanatics, but the mountains that shielded that compound was far off in the distance. Something told him he wouldn't be traveling that distance anyways. His sight was foggy, his mind just as clouded as sometimes he tried to think straight. Gau was lost in the middle of nowhere as far as he was concerned, and on top of that, he had developed a pounding headache. Something was in his head, behind that rough green hair of his, causing him extreme pain in the depths of his cerebellum. The pain seemed to be relieved little by little with each step he took in the right direction, so he figured that once he reached the place this pain was driving him to, the pain would cease. The boy from the Veldt mindlessly walked forwards, staring at the ground and his feet as they trudged onward, not even under his own control. He dare not look up, the bright, setting sun and crisp wind caused him pain as well.  
  
**Neo Vector, located near the center of the continent . . .  
**  
Cranes and scaffolds littered the landscape around the outskirts of Neo Vector. A wall was being raised around the mighty iron city to ward off the Returners wishing to enter this haven of empirical ideals. Those rebels against their cause brought only hate and destruction to the people of this 'reborn' Vector. Increased attacks from the Returners and other anti-Empire terrorists had created insecurity between the Empire sympathizers of Neo Vector and the rest of the world, making such a deterrent absolutely necessary to preserve their way of life. The first Vector was a marvelous work of ingenuity and art before the overzealous Kefka destroyed it by shifting the balance of the goddesses at the peak of the Floating Island. It sent the world into ruin, tearing apart cities, flooding over islands and killing thousands of people.  
  
Rail systems connected and crisscrossed from one side of the 5 mile diameter city to the other, and the urban center's airspace was protected by the huge air force that never ceased it's superiority of the skies. There were hangars in every major city tower, strategically placed near important tactical centers and government buildings. Neo Vector had no long range bombers yet, but there was only one other airship that could possibly form an attack against them; The Falcon. There had been no mistaking its military power in the past, but the fact that the Empire had to build a new city from scratch was daunting and severely limited their resources. One of these days, with their army rebuilt, the Empire would once again conquer the far reaches of the planet, but until then they lay in wait, plotting and producing weapons capable of even greater destruction than what their air force could accomplish.  
  
The scientists and researchers of this city were also in a race with the rest of civilization to create a more powerful and destructive technology, namely next-generation Tek armors. In the meanwhile, Magitek armor had to suffice as their main defense when a threat needed to be dealt with. There were too many holes in their defenses and until the city was finished, the funds from the city's taxes were being used to keep the peace with what little resources they had.  
  
"This is Sector 12 reporting in," a transmission buzzed to the central city dispatcher in a tower 400 feet in the air.  
  
"Go, ahead," the dispatcher said.  
  
"Nothing threatening or hostile in sight, construction has gone unhampered today," the soldier in the walking armor continued, the background noise of hydraulics and heavy stomping mixing with static that came from the swift blowing of wind, "continuing patrol."  
  
"Roger that, out," the dispatcher ended the conversation, "Okay, time to go to the next patrol . . ." he said, talking to himself. He was bored, very bored with his job, "Seven-thirty, nothing," he mentioned to himself as he wrote the events in his daily logbook. He leafed through the pages of the book, trying to find something exciting that happened. But he already knew the answer to his search, "Yesterday, nothing. Last week there was nothing. Today, NOTHING!" the dispatcher cried out as he punched the intercom system, "I've been working this job for the last seven months and nothing has ever happened!! Those big wigs up at headquarters are just wasting their money . . . nobody in their right mind could ever hope to attack us with an army. I should be out in the field, putting my skills to use, why those Returners wouldn't stand a chance-"  
  
And in that fleeting moment, it seemed that his prayers were answered. When he had hit the intercom he inadvertently triggered an open channel to the patrol person in the southwest quadrant of Neo Vector, "Figure approaching sector 6, I'm going to check it out, "the soldier told his buddy in another Sector about a mile away.  
  
"Alright, don't have too much fun with him," his friend joked, the communication between them timing out. The dispatcher silently listened as the Magitek armor's heavy feet pounded the ground. He could just imagine the dirt being imprinted, and the dust flying outwards at the mechanical monsters feet. What he wouldn't GIVE to be able to pilot one of those instead of having this 'desk' job. The hydraulics in the leg gears and joints of the metal beast could be heard through the transmission, adding to the noise as the legs stretched and bent to move forward. Intrigued, the dispatcher looked up the frequency of the pilot and found out it was coming from the Sector 5 patrolman.  
  
The patrolman spoke again, "Halt, you are entering the Royal Empire's territory, any further progression through this land without expressed permission will be taken as an act of aggression and you will be dealt with harshly! Identify yourself!"  
  
Gau answered him with silence, looking up slowly and showing his horridly bloodshot eyes. With disheveled hair and clumps within the palms of the tortured boy's hands, he looked back down and kept on the path set before him. The soldier took him as being insubordinate and started up his bolt beam. It clicked with a spark and whirred loudly, collecting a static charge to shoot within its iron maw, "I said stop!" the soldier ordered. Gau stopped dead in his tracks, cringing at tone of the pilot's voice. His chin nodded understandingly as though he had just agreed with somebody. Removing the newly found materia from its pouch, he held it like a baby, softly caressing it with hands on each side. He had started walking on his way again and only managed to take another step when the soldier became outraged and stepped in front of him.  
  
"That's it!" he yelled. The Sector 5 scout pulled the trigger and released the massive electrical charge at Gau. Thousands of bluish-white individual lightning bolts fired over his target, crackling and popping in the air as ground was ripped up and underbrush burnt to a crisp. At first, the shot seemed to go through the wild boy, but in truth they flowed harmlessly past him. The soldier in the Magitek armor stared in both wonder and disbelief as the bolt discharge drained harmlessly into the shiny stone that the boy held so dearly in his hands.  
  
"What in the world?!" the soldier exclaimed in shock. A bright white ball of light gathered inside the glasslike object and started to spin around inside it sporadically. This unknown gem floated out of the young boy's hands, starting to orbit over Gau's head and building enormous amounts of kinetic energy. It spun faster and faster, the clear rays of light flashing about and enveloping the Magitek captain in a nightmarish dance. When the soldier tried to move his suit, the hinges were locked up ceased to function. The bars and wires had somehow fused together and now trapped him inside the vehicle.  
  
The object suddenly became indistinguishable from human eyes, blurring and eventually appearing as a small flickering cloud to the soldier. This made him deathly afraid of what might happen next. His whole body tensed up as he tried to escape, pushing at his restraints and tearing at the belts that held him in place. In his panicked state he managed to remove the nylon straps but couldn't undo the small mechanism with his shaking hands. His veins popped through his skin as he strained to free his arms but the suit refused to move an inch.  
  
He was stuck . . . there was nothing he could do. The armor that he thought would save his life would soon be his coffin.  
  
He screamed and pounded on the metal bars as a supercharged streak of lightning flew through the air towards him and seared his skin from his body, zigzagging and streaking through his body over and over again, "Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" His high pitched, terrifying shriek was abruptly aborted back in the control room.  
  
The dispatcher fell back into his chair, stunned and shocked at what just happened. All he could do was stare at the controls blankly as if he was brain dead and listen to the static being broadcasted from Sector 5's frequency. Something was horribly wrong . . . magic had killed the man, magic. That was the only explanation for it. No machine had that kind of power. Only a human with the power of an Esper could be so destructive . . . Something that should have disappeared with the destruction of Kefka had returned and killed the soldier. 


	7. First Impact

Chapter 7: **First Impact**

The dispatcher quickly opened a channel to all available Magitek armors and soldiers, "There is a security breach in Sector 5!" his voice shrill from having been quiet for so long, "I repeat, ALL soldiers and Magitek pilots assemble by Sector 6!! Lethal force HAS been authorized! DESTROY HIM!!" With that last order, the dispatcher fell backwards into his chair. His heart was racing, and he had become exhausted from all the excitement. He wanted his own war, and he was about to get it . . .

**Barracks and Hangars of Neo Vector, Sector 6 . . .**

It was night already, the moon floated heavily in a clear and crisp night wind. Dim lights lined the ceiling of the otherwise dormant Magitek armor hangar and through the only window, an empire insignia flew on a flag hanging from the ceiling. It was the calm before the storm . . .

Lights suddenly came to life, the massive bulbs warming quickly as each one brought more brightness to the hangar than the next. In a matter of seconds, each of the lifeless mobile armors was dully illuminated. A lieutenant rushed into an office on the second floor catwalk and took some keys out of his drawer. He scrambled as fast as he could, tripping as he went back outside to activate the hangar's support grid. With an anxious twist of his wrist, he set off a powerful alarm and the grid flashed with hundreds of lights.

Bulbs of soft light flickered on throughout the compound alongside an orchestra of painful sirens, quickly alerting the entire facility. The shriek was so loud it echoed into the depths of Sector 6 through the air and caused thousands of night lights in the surrounding residential area to switch on. The young officer flipped on yet another switch and the massive room finally came to life. Spotlights came on, one by one, casting a silhouette onto each of the Magitek armors consecutively. After a couple seconds all thirty were basked by their light and eagerly awaiting their drivers. Engineers scurried about, yelling at each other as they hurried to lock the fuel lines into place.

The lieutenant's heart raced as the first battle of his career loomed imminently in the glow of early moonlight. He slammed a flashing yellow button next to the spotlight controls and the entire place began to quake and shudder. The activation an immense hydraulic system caused the hanging lights to sway and glass everywhere to vibrate almost to the edge of breaking. The cranking sound echoed deep into the hangar, steam shooting out from the axels and pistons as each part of the intricate machine worked fast to open the Empire to the world. Water dripped from each of the hinges as the doors were pulled apart, allowing a cool, faint mist to roll onto the warm ground around the hangar.

**Bunk Area**

The alarm woke up all one hundred soldiers and the handful of pilots allotted to the 97th Empire Battalion with quite a stir, "What the hell?!" one of the privates sleeping there yelled out as he slammed his head against the top bunk. Each of them seemed to jump up at the same time out of their beds and immediately tore open their footlockers to put their battle armor on, "What's happening?" the private asked his buddy as he rubbed his head and put his feet into his black army issued slacks.

"Someone is attacking us! We're going to war!!!" the other young recruit shouted.

The first soldier mouthed the words 'war' with a befuddled look on his face. Who would be crazy enough to attack the Empire, let alone their base of operations at Neo Vector?

"Come on ladies! Get your ass in gear! This ain't no drill! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!!" their drill sergeant screamed at the top of his lungs, "I want to see everybody lined up in ONE minute!" As each person finished dressing, they grabbed their rifles and set up next to each other in a straight line. The drill sergeant hurriedly expected each one of them, fixing their uniforms before shoving them out the door, "I won't be there to wipe your baby asses any more dearies. Remember your training and you WILL come back alive! Now GO, GO, GO!

The halls they ran through were dark and ominous; each corner had a red arrow of light that projected to the other wall, leaving the whole place in a glow of red. It was as if the planners of the compound were trying to accustom them to the sight of blood. Little did the soldiers know that it would be their own and not the enemy's. Sirens and new blue arrows suddenly appeared as the stampeded down the hallway, making them aware that they were quickly approaching their destination . . . the hangar.

**Hangar**

The doors rumbled against the ground as they came to a screeching halt against metal. The sirens continued to wail, calling out as loud as ever but there was still no sign of troops.

'_Where are they?_' The Lieutenant leading the operation thought. He listened for anything . . . the doors were wide open and a hard wind from the dark landscape blew across his face. The air was cold and it sent a chill down his spine.

A minute went by and faint footsteps could be heard somewhere off in the distance. The footsteps grew steadily louder, growing into a dull roar as they came closer and closer. The roar suddenly became an earthquake hundreds of men screamed at each other and stomped down the hallway with their heavy Empire-issue boots. The officer turned his attention to the far right corner of the hangar, looked towards the door as he heard more men yelling in response to the first. He knew as well as anybody that the troops were just as anxious as everybody else in Neo Vector to get into a fight. Most had joined after the events of the World Cataclysm, and had yet to test their skills in battle.

One by one they stampeded out of the entranceway, spreading like a swarm of bees protecting their hive. The lieutenant's eyes lit up as each of the pilots jumped into their respective Magitek armors and strapped themselves in. The foot soldiers were all busy scurrying about, taking a shield from the armory located in the back of the facility and then a rifle and sword in the racks lining the back wall. Chests heaving and hearts racing, once their preparations were complete the soldiers sprinted to the threshold of the huge door and waited for a signal from their squad leaders.

The lieutenant had grown giddy seeing his massive force collect in front of his eyes. Never before had he controlled the power he was about to unleash onto the world. Magitek armors were coming to life all around him, their diesel engines power cores growling and pumping like work horses as he ran down to the floor. Their noxious fumes filled the room as the bodysuits lifted the pilots up into the air and readied their weapons. Everything was in perfect formation.

The lonely private was being pushed every which way as he looked outside the doors, seeing only uncertainty . . . darkness. He turned himself around and viewed the Magitek armors standing fearlessly behind the shock troops, poised and fully equipped to handle anything. Shoving was taking place all over the anxious battalion now. This would be the first real test of the Empire's powers and their newly trained army. Rifle butts were being slammed on the ground, magazines locked in place, diagnostic tests being conducted in each of the walking armors . . . it all mixed together into a symphony of steam and steel. The intensity became overwhelming. No one could take it anymore.

"**CHARGE!!!"** the overzealous Lieutenant screamed as he held up the grappling arm of his custom Magitek armor and pointed forward. The eighty plus storm troopers yelled with unbound ferocity and ran as fast as they could out of the door. The armors started their stomping once the foot soldiers had filed out, their fuel lines snapping and blowing off to the side with explosive force as each landed on the ground with ear shattering clangs. All thirty vehicles of destruction pounded the ground in unison and stomped out the door in perfect harmony. The sound of battle in Neo Vector had never been this loud before . . .

**Narshe**

"Evasive maneuvers now!" Setzer ordered his crew down in the engine room. He turned the ship hard right, causing every object not tied down to be thrown around and over the side. Boxes were destroyed as they hit the metal hull and the engine could be heard going into overdrive as it tried to pull away from the chaos nearing and overtaking the Falcon.

"SHIT!" Mik exclaimed as he lost his balance and fell backwards. He tumbled backwards, hitting his head each time he rolled and flailing about. There was nothing he could grab on to as he scrambled and scratched the surface of the oversized zeppelin. A few more knocks to the head and he was too lightheaded to think. Little crates filled with fuel and provisions fell over the side and dropped peacefully to the ground below before shattering violently. The bodyguard clawed at everything, trying to grasp onto something solid. Shadow watched in horror as Mik rapidly approached the railing, only mere feet from the side of the ship and certain death. He had to take action quickly, or it would be all over. A torn rope that had come undone from the balloon dangled in near him. Without thinking the ninja wrapped it around his waist and bolted down the almost ninety degree deck, building up more and more speed, passing the falling debris and making a mad dash for his comrade.

The ship was almost vertical at this point, and Setzer had strapped himself into a harness as he leaned into the wheel and tried to right his precious ship. Mik's hands reached out wildly as he hit the side with the heels of his feet and flipped over into the fiery orange sky, "Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

"Man overboard!" one of the secured crew members called out from the mast of the ship.

Shadow came to the edge a millisecond later and did a free fall over the side, tying the rope in a knot on his leg as well as his waist as he jumped. Mik was falling fast, but Shadow tucked his arms close to his body and sped closer to him with only a few feet left of rope. Setzer had begun to right the vessel, leaving even less slack as the fearless shinobi reached out and grabbed Mik's arms as tight as he could.

"I won't let go of you!" Shadow told him as the ship jerked back upright and sent them both flying upwards with their makeshift bungee cord. Shadow outstretched his hand as they zoomed back towards the ship and clung onto the railing, throwing Mik over the side as he struggled to pull himself up. A wet spot appeared where the rope had been tied, stained red with the hero's blood. Mik helped Shadow to his feet and they hurried for cover in the decks below.

"SHIT!" Setzer screamed as little pieces of rock struck the deck of the Falcon and started small fires over its hull. His only choice was to land the ship before he lost all control of it. A helmet sized rock of flame clipped the nose of the ship and tore a huge chunk out of the prow. This sent the already teetering Falcon out of control and it took everything Setzer had to keep the ship level in order to land it.

As Setzer was descending, almost out of control, he managed to view Narshe out of the corner of his eye through the hole in front of his ship. It was buried in a haze of orange and red. Smoke was billowing high into the atmosphere, creating an unusual nighttime setting at high noon. Under the smoke he saw ferocious flames dancing on the rooftops of the houses, eating through each of the structures in seconds and spreading fast across the town. More of these hellfire rocks, these meteors, fell along the mountaintops, creating catastrophic avalanches and landslides that obliterated the outlying houses and shacks in the small mining city. Setzer was never a man of religion, but he knew what this was. It looked like Armageddon, the end of all life as he knew it. There were a few townspeople running out of the town and from their houses, but it was all in vain. Fire fell like rain from the heavens destroying all life in the area and leaving no survivors. The land had become scorched and was no longer a place could harbor anything living.

Setzer regained control of the Falcon, taking it a few miles out of this meteor storm's path to land it when he looked back and saw the end of Narshe. A meteor the size of a house parted the smoke and came crashing down on the mountains, tearing through the mountainside and igniting the ore within its veins. Explosions rocked entire upper continent as the peak blew off and fell into the side of the ravine where the first Esper had been found. A bright light appeared before a final explosion enveloped the entire surrounding area.

Those people that had been running from their houses were overtaken by the shockwave and were incinerated in the heat from the impact. No one had enough time to escape. The magnificent and massive explosion collapsed both cliffs on each side of the ravine and ripped through the rock that lay beneath the town. The heavy stones tumbled down and crumbled away as massive sinkholes swallowed the whole town in its wake. With nothing left to support the city, houses . . . dogs . . . people . . . everything was sucked in. If anybody had somehow survived the first wave of destruction, the collapse ultimately insured they were swallowed up by the earth. Setzer decided that the ship would be in danger if they stayed in the area any longer so he lifted the Falcon off the ground again and left the region of Narshe.

****

Mik couldn't take everything that had happened to him anymore. He snapped. This day, this horrible day had brought more terror and despair to his life then he had experienced any time before. His mother, his sister . . . they were all gone now. His whole family was killed and was buried beneath the tons of burning rock and smoldering ashes. "They're gone," Mik moaned as tears fell from his eyes, "I've let them down . . . I DIDN'T MAKE IT IN TIME!"

Setzer spoke in disbelief, putting the palm of his right hand over his eyes to cover his tears, "Locke, Mog, Umaro . . . even Celes. NO!!" he screamed, dropping to his knees, "This didn't happen! NO!! I won't accept this!" he grabbed his long white hair, pounding the tattered wood deck of his ship in frustration. The Falcon flew out of control towards the ground as soon as Setzer let go of the wheel and the turbulence from the dive began to rip apart his damaged ship faster than the meteors had.

Shadow noticed pieces of wood and metal flying past his head and instinctively grabbed the wheel, bringing them back up to a safe altitude as he winced in pain under his mask. He set it to autopilot and went up to Setzer, grabbing his own side. Gripping Setzer by his lapel with his right hand, Shadowed landed a harsh punch to his jaw then punched Mik in the stomach with the other, "What the hell is wrong with you two? Snap out of it!" The pilot slowly crouched to the ground after having the wind knocked out of him.

"They're dead, THEY'RE ALL DEAD!!" Mik wheezed as he stumbled around the upper deck. He started to show signs of a crazy man, defying his friends . . . a man ready to take his own life.

"So you guys thought it would be okay to let us die too?!" Shadow grew very angry, the skin below his disguise growing hot as the two lowly persons huddled on the deck.

"How . . . how will the resistance fight on now?" Mik shot at him as he dejectedly sat down.

"We will fight on. There is nothing we can do about their deaths! We must move on, the Empire must be stopped once and for all and wiped off the face of this planet," Shadow retaliated.

"Screw the Empire," Mik stated, "I'm outta this war now . . . there's nothing left to fight for. They'll surely take advantage of this and kill us all! How do we know they didn't cause this?"

Nobody knew for sure what had happened, who had caused it, and what could be done about it, but Shadow contemplated his counterpart's words before replying, "Their memories," he said, "and for everyone that believed that the Returners could succeed with this, their last mission . . . and more importantly, for me."

"Huh?" Setzer said curiously, regaining his composure.

"A fourth of our army was stationed in Narshe. Right now we need everyone who can fight or we will surely perish against them. Your fallen friends would have wanted it this way. They were willing to fight to the end. If only you could have been there, standing up atop Kefka's Tower staring down his beam of destruction . . . then you'd understand. Don't tarnish their last memories of you . . . don't disgrace everything they fought for by just up and quitting. If you give up on this war, you're giving up on their beliefs and saying that the Empire has already won," Shadow stated with rare compassion in his voice.

"I know what you are saying," Setzer followed while rubbing his stomach, his temperament already changing for the better, "we have to fight and win to make sure that what they believed in will always be the way of life for all those living on this planet. Peace . . . we must attain it. There's no other choice now. I know what needs to be done. It's time to travel to our last stronghold, Figaro Castle. Sabin will have to take charge. I'm sure he'll be capable of leading us as well as Edgar did . . . hopefully."

Setzer took control of the helm once again and turned the Falcon a few degrees to the south. It flew off leaving a trail of smoke behind it as the waning moments of sunlight, their bickering and emergency maintenance to the ship taking up most of their day. Shadow grabbed his injured side as he helped up Mik. They both watched as the fiery town faded into the horizon. Mik still hadn't come to a realization that he had to move on though, but there was a new direction in his life now. The ruins of Narshe symbolized his past, the coming darkness of the sea at night his future. Determined to fight for his comrade's cause until the end, Mik turned his attention to the sea.


	8. Out of Control

Chapter 8: **Out of Control **

Blood splattered against the rusty brown walls of the prison level as Gabe punched Edgar consecutively in the mouth. Each blow weakened the once strong King of Figaro, loosening his jaw and bruising his cheekbones.

"Why did you come to this sacred place, OUR PLACE of worship and disturb the peace that we have worked for so long to achieve?" Gabe scowled at Edgar. His captive answered him with silence, causing the angered priest to beat the king's face once more out of frustration and sending a mixture of saliva and blood to the bare floor below. Edgar's head had become Gabe's punching bag for the moment, taking the brunt of his captor's anguish and anger in the aftermath of his loved one's death.

One of his eyes was swollen shut and a large gash had appeared over his upper brow, "We were . . ." Edgar struggled to speak out," observing to . . ."

"OBSERVING? What need is there to observe? Did you relish in the death of my wife, huh?! What reason do you have for such an act?" Gabe yelled as he kneed Edgar in the stomach, gritting his teeth and grunting in further agitation. Edgar now cowered in fear of this hulking monster, his will broken as he flinched at the man's every movement. He had never encountered someone as strong as this high priest, his training never readied him for the type of sadist torment this man enjoyed to take part in.

He was vulnerable to Gabe, a feeling that only intensified once his cape and armor were taken away. The man dwarfed him in size and each part of Gabe's body seemed to enlarge the angrier he got. In his final act of defiance, the valiant monarch raised his head and looked his subjugator in the eye, "Fuck you," Edgar managed to say in between coughing up blood and losing consciousness, "we were going to kill you but-"

Gabe kicked Edgar squarely in the chest and he collapsed to the ground. The pain was too much and he slipped out of consciousness, darkness covering his eyesight, "Bastard," Gabe commented as he left the interrogation room. As he walked outside he noticed that the rain had subsided and that the moon was shining brightly in the morning sky as the sun struggled to show itself. He looked down forty floors below and saw a serene landscape unfold. The mist of rain gone, Gabe could look for miles in any direction. He used this image to calm himself, taking a deep breath as the stillness in the air caused by the encircling mountains soothed his tattered nerves.

A guard quickly locked the door as Gabe shut it. The leader of Fanatic's Tower turned around, noticing that a solitary priest had listened to the torture that had taken place and seemed to have been waiting for a while to talk to his superior. The priest politely offered Gabe a towel and it was graciously accepted. The priest spoke to Gabe as the white towel gradually turned red from the bloodied hands of the high priest.

"Lord Gabe, your presence is needed most urgently in the nursery," the priest alerted him.

"Is something wrong with the baby?" Gabe said, suddenly concerned.

"No! I mean yes . . . well, sort of," the priest informed him," Please follow me quickly!"

The two climbed the stairs as fast as they could until they reached the nursery on the forty-eighth level. Gabe viewed chaos through the windows of the nursery as he got closer. Priests were being tossed like rag dolls in every direction, slamming into walls and being covered in debris. Was somebody attacking them, trying to kidnap his daughter? Had the king's men returned for retribution?

Gabe reached for the knob to open the door but leapt backwards as a guard crashed into the doorway, taking the portal off its hinges before flying over the guardrail. The priest that had told Gabe of the incident jerked his view towards the man as he sailed down to the punishing earth below, cringing as the poor soul slammed helplessly against the ground. No use sending the doctors, he was dead on impact. Gabe rushed through the splintered door, ready for a fight, but was taken aback when he saw a girl of nine sitting like a perfect angel in the center of the room. She had a slender frame, with beautiful green eyes and golden blonde hair. It was almost as if this girl were a miniature clone of his late wife Cirra.

"P, Phoebe?" Gabe stuttered.

"Hello daddy! I've missed you!" She responded happily with a wide grin on her face.

Black Hole 

Vincent stared unblinkingly at the computer screen. Red had passed out from exhaustion a while ago, which left him the only one left awake on the ship. He had run many tests with Nanaki today but each result was useless in gaining any more of an understanding about the phenomena outside their ship. The thing that disturbed Vincent the worst was the presence of Mako around the test site. How could a rare material such as Mako exist in deep space? It was all beyond his comprehension, unless . . .

Vincent went into a trance as he fell into a deep thought. His mind took him back to the fight against Sephiroth, to be more specific, while he watched the final battle unfold from the safety of limbo with the other dimensional warriors. The slow falling waterfall of crystal had created a mirror, and in that vision he had seen Xanien stop the falling moon, calling about his might and that of the planet before redirecting it back at Sephiroth. The former Turk had stared in awe as he saw the moon and meteor clash in flurry of explosions before shattering into millions of small pieces. The lightshow that ensued from the falling projectiles was magnificent, and it looked as though the planet was crying tears of joy for the fused hero's victory . . . But did it all burn up? The moon had been coated in Lifestream, seeping into each and every crack . . . Vincent knew how to answer his own question.

He came out of the shallow dream and went to the computer terminal, switching it on once more. His search would be narrowed down this time, trying to locate the closest pieces of rock containing Mako. He was in luck, finding a few specimens only a few hundred meters from the ship. Vincent grabbed a laptop and headed for the airlock, determined to shed light on this mystery. Once there, he suited up with one of the three spacesuits used for outer hull repair. Somehow he had picked Shera's, and the suit was a tight fit, but it would suffice for what he had to do. The vampiric looking man carefully covered his mechanical arm with insulation so as not to tear the suit and fastened the small computer he had brought with him onto that arm.

After the last bolt of the helmet was tightened, Vincent walked into the neutral room between the ship and outer space then flipped the depressurize switch. A red light glowed inside the airlock as the door to the outside opened slowly, leaking the remaining air. In a flurry of dust, the entire room was voided of oxygen and Vincent was left weightless without the slow spin of the ship to hold him down. The air tank switched on with a hiss as he tethered himself to the ship before departing for the first piece of rock. Using quickly controlled bursts from his air tank, he maneuvered towards the first piece of space rock. The target had been locked in while he prepared from within the science laboratory, and the beeping on his laptop informed Vincent that he was in proximity of the target. Turning around, Vincent saw that he had drifted hundreds of feet away from the ship. It was a little uncomfortable and concerning, but he would have to go no further, the object was right in front of him in a motionless state. He reached out his hand towards the rock and it crumbled before he could get a grip on it.

Vincent gritted his teeth and grumbled but found a similar subject in the same vicinity. He touched the second rock more delicately and placed a small drill into its core. It almost instantly bore through to the middle and was able to scan it, sending the data to the small terminal he had brought with him. The screen flashed on as it began the process of breaking the rock down. A 3-D model appeared first, and then the program cut it into multiple different layers, labeling each with great speed before a dialog box opened underneath the model as it finished scanning, revealing what the substance was made of.

Elements . . . . . . . Mako . . . . . . . Silicon . . . Iron . . . 

Before it finished Vincent knew what it was, "These are fragments from our moon," he said to himself, almost shocked at his discovery, talking as though someone were there along side, listening.

Luckily, someone was.

"Hmm?" Nanaki groggily mumbled as he woke up from the floor. Vincent's suit had been transmitting all the data back to the ship, entering his findings into _Aeris' _databanks in real-time. The screens were filling up incredibly fast, saving everything in the blink of an eye.

"Vincent?" Red asked in his message over the com, "What are you doing outside? Can't sleep?" he joked.

"You won't believe what I've found out here. I've discovered the reason why we have been receiving traces of Mako with our scans . . ." Vincent stated.

"I thought we gave up on that," the canine scientist responded.

Part of Vincent's training as a TURK was to question everything, and everyone, but nothing could explain this phenomenon other than what he was about to say, "It's part of our moon," Vincent stated. A sting of pain surged through his body as he thought of the implications of what this meant. If pieces of the moon had traveled this deep into space, and the readings of Mako near the center of the black hole were so high . . . then it was quite possible that Sephiroth's body was a part of it all, and somehow . . . his will had lived on.

"Then that means . . ." Red replied, seeing where his friend was going with this.

"What I'm trying to . . ." Vincent's comment was cut short by a small rock floating past his visor. It gracefully floated by, disturbing only the space and time it occupied. But when he looked over from where it came, he immediately grabbed hold of the tether and started to tug himself in. "Get me out of here now Nanaki!" He screamed as hundreds of hot rocks whizzed by his body.

"What!?" Red exclaimed, powering up the control panel in the main cockpit as quick as he could. The computer screen lit up with the confirmation of hundreds of approaching bogies and the alarm began to sound across the entire ship. It only took seconds for Red XIII to activate the crank that was connected to the tether and hurry the process. Vincent's life was in the paws of Nanaki now . . . One false move and he would be a goner.

The crew members of the _Aeris_ had begun to stir, and the commander of the ship was shouting to everybody, trying to find out what the hell was going on. Down at the airlock, things were a bit more hectic . . .

"Come on . . . faster . . . FASTER!!!" Vincent eagerly yelled, breaking his usual fearless code as the first wave of meteors had passed by him at breakneck speeds, screeching into oblivion. It would only take one hit to rupture his suit and end his life. The man might have welcomed death, an end to all his nightmares, but he would choose that end. He was positively sure this was not his time to go . . .

"It's going as fast as it can! Any faster and it will break!" Red snapped back. His yelling had awakened both Cid and Shera. Cid jumped through the doorway and took the controls away from Red, pressing all sorts of buttons as the crank went into overdrive.

"What the hell is going on?" Cid screamed at Red over the noise of the ship.

"Vincent is outside with a meteor storm bearing down on him!" Red explained.

"_What's going on up there? Need some help here . . . THE STORM IS GETTING CLOSER!!_" Vincent shouted over the intercom line.

"He won't make it unless we get the ship closer to him," Cid told Red as he weighed Vincent's options in his head," Start the engines, we're going in after him."

Cid climbed up a ladder and moved into the cockpit, hurriedly operating the thrusters to get the ship in position and constantly glancing at the screen to monitor how far they were from Vincent. Hundred yards, fifty yards, ten yards . . .

"Get ready to open the door to the launch bay and tell me when he's in!" Cid ordered Red who had followed him up into the cabin.

The pounding of Red's paws as he clamored down the belly of the ship woke everybody else on the ship up. After a minute he was at the inner airlock and managed to see Vincent just as he climbed into the ship and shut the outer bay door release. Red hastily opened the inner door and led him inside.

"We need to get out of here now!!" Vincent yelled as he collapsed to the floor. He was breathing heavily trying to catch his breath.

As Cid powered up the main engines, the sound of rock on metal began to resonate all over _Aeris' _hull. A hailstorm of razor sharp shrapnel was pounding the ship. Nanaki walked over to Vincent and nudged him to get back up, but as Vincent propped himself up, he whispered, "Big . . . rock . . ." Shortly after, he passed out.

Red looked out of the small airlock window and saw a massive asteroid erratically tumbling toward the ship.

"Umm Cid . . ." There was no response from the cockpit. The captain was too focused to respond, "Cidddddddddd!!!"

"What!" he groaned angrily. The roar of the engines indicated that they were almost at full power.

"Ciiddddddd!!! We need to get out of here now! Look outside the window!" Nanaki screamed.

"Ahh shit . . ."

The asteroid hit them just as the engines came on. The blast from the engine and the impact from the rock sent the _Aeris_ and her crew careening out of control directly into the center of the black hole.


	9. Chasing the Blue Sky

Chapter 9: **Chasing the Blue Sky**

The embers in Cyan's fire glowed dully orange in the brisk morning air. The smell of fresh dew collecting on the grass and birds chirping confirmed it was morning to the tranquil ruler's senses. His old back creaked as he righted himself and stood up, stretching his weary body. Cyan rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the delicate filtering of light through the forest canopy while Baram lay sprawled out over his bunched up sheet, snoring. Being the just knight that he was, Cyan found a long, slender branch on the ground and began poking it at the sides of the sleeping squire. He poked Baram in the arm, which he rubbed away, and then in the nose. He snorted and woke up with a gasp, slapping his face thinking it was a bug crawling up his face.

Cyan's chuckled heartily as his expense as the boy talked, "Wha?" Baram mumbled as he stirred in his brown wool sleeping bag.

"It's morning my lad," Cyan told him, "time to get a move on."

"Yes sire!" Baram replied as he found it difficult to free himself of the bunched up sleeping bag, tripping over his legs as he hurried to pack things up quickly.

In a matter of minutes, the fire had been put out and their small bundle of camp supplies had been placed back into a sack hanging from the side of Baram's chocobo. It too had been sleeping and warked in surprise as he did so, the short wings on its side flapping in shock. Cyan equipped his armor as Baram awoke the other bird, tying the front and back straps of his protection tightly before slipping on an outer shirt of cotton to conceal it. Baram fed both of the chocobos some greens that he had brought with him and their huge playful eyes showed their gratitude, even though he had so rudely awakened them. Today was going to be a long day of traveling, and they needed their energy.

"We're crossing the ocean today. Late last night as you slept the entire northwestern sky was aglow with light. I fear that something might have happened to my friends in Narshe," Cyan told Baram. The boy shot his king a bewildered look as he said this, "Don't look at me as though I'm crazy . . ." Cyan snapped. The squire shook his head disapprovingly, "You'll see what I mean once we reach the coastline," Cyan said.

It was a two-hour journey to the coast from their current position. Signs of late morning were popping up around them as time passed and their expedition began. Squirrels were playfully chasing each other up the trees and through the chocobos' legs. Baram watched as one of the squirrels gnawed away at an acorn from a branch in the tree high above him, it seemed to be staring at him from up at its vantage point. A couple birds sang a delightful tune from the treetops as Cyan and his faithful assistant came ever closer to their destination. The squire watched Cyan sniff the air as he propped himself up on the saddle. Thinking this odd he took in a whiff on his own and smelled the faint aroma of salt in his nostrils. The birds melody had suddenly change from a happy tune to the song of a seagull, their calls echoing out over the horizon. The forest became less dense as they reached the coastline of their continent and the animals became less visible as white sand replaced dark brown dirt. Taking another deep breath, Cyan took in as much sea air as he could, remembering back to the days when Gau had led them through the Serpent Trench (most of which is now above water since Kefka's arrogance threw the balance of the world out of sync). He watched the white foam form on top of each tide's crest seconds before it crashed into the receding current.

"Well, we're here," Baram said, not amazed as to how they would cross the ocean, although he too enjoyed the view of the deep blue water as far as the eye can see.

"Just follow me," Cyan ordered him.

Cyan led the chocobo into some shallow water and its clawed feet sank slightly into the water. He walked farther out into the water and the level of water remained constant right below the chocobo's knees.

"But . . . that's impossible!!" Baram exclaimed in disbelief, "Chocobos can't walk on water!!"

"Ahh, the miracles of chocobo breeding. I'll tell you all about it when we get back to Doma," Cyan explained, smirking and then beginning to ride towards Narshe. As the bird ran on the water, it looked as though it was running over small puddles. Instead of a big splash after every step, it left a ripple and a kick of water from its foot. Baram's chocobo had its Sunkist orange beak buried in a patch of random greens growing by a small tree instead of watching the other bird. Not wanting to be a burden on his master, he tugged at the harness and coaxed the bird into following Cyan. The untrusting boy held on for dear life as his ride sprinted towards its mate.

**Moogle Caves of Narshe**

The moogles' once cheerful and upbeat residence was now lying beneath a thousand tons of coal and rock. The caves would never again be host to their mystical songs, and the hay padded dance floors would never again be treaded on during joyous parties. It was a dark day for Moogle kind . . . many had lost their lives and only a few had managed to escape.

Although the deeper floors had sustained considerably less damage, they were still in decimated and beyond repair. The shockwave from the final impact had carved most of the ceiling away along with the upper levels of caves, collapsing layers upon layers of prehistoric caves upon each other. The early afternoon light had penetrated through a few of the holes and outlined the mist-like appearance of still settling dust. The lack of wind or a breeze kept the air stale and stagnant, almost unbearable due to the ash from some of the still burning landmarks in the city. A scent of decay and rigormortis would become much more noticeable as the sun's rays warmed up the ground and a cloud of death could be seen from miles away. There would have had to be a miracle in order for any living thing to have survived this catastrophe . . . a miracle in the shape of a giant snow beast called Umaro.

Slowly but surely, a giant rock began to list to the side, sliding off the others. Once the melee had begun, Umaro and the others ran into the caves for shelter against the storm of hellfire. Mog had no sooner led Celes and Locke to the lower levels when disaster struck. His padded white paws and small pink wings just weren't fast enough . . . A gigantic part of the ceiling collapsed and threatened to crush them under its mighty weight, but the superhuman strength of the abominable snowman wouldn't allow that to happen. He created a human barrier around his friends, holding the slab mere inches above them as hundreds of more boulders tumbled down and slid into piles around the cavern.

His grip now weakened, the beast tilted the giant boulder and dropped the rock to one side, the ground shaking as he did. Umaro then managed to somehow brace himself and push it away as hundreds of tons of rock rolled harmlessly off to the other side. With his last ounce of energy the abominable snow-beast watched the block of earth crack and shatter, making a thunderous boom as it hit the ground. Umaro fell to his knees exhausted, then onto his face, his breathing labored and blowing the dirt away from his violet-blue face. His friends, who had moved out from under him and got out of his way, hurriedly returned to his side to help. Mog was the first.

"Kupo . . . Umaro," Mog said as he used his tiny, battered pink wings to float over to his friend. The Moogle tried to flip him over, but the beast-man was just too massive. The furry little animal's eyes were empty, void of any emotion as he did his best to put pressure on his friend's wounds . . . but there were just too many. Celes buried her head into Locke's shoulder as the scene unfolded.

"We . . . survived?" She said in disbelief, tears welling up as she held her lover tightly. Locke stood her up, guiding the both of them as they walked over to console Mog. They all had cuts and bruises, but nothing to the extent of Umaro's injuries. Stray boulders had slammed into his body, tearing his fur away and gashing into his skin. Red blood had pooled all over his brilliantly white colored hair, now almost brown as it dried out. In other places it was more internal than anything else . . . the stress put onto his arms, legs, and organs was irreparable. After putting down the huge chunk of ceiling, his muscle fibers weakened to the point that they shredded apart, massive pulmonary hemorrhaging occurring all over. If magic still existed, Umaro wouldn't be in this situation. A simple cure would make him brand new . . . if it still existed. However, after the defeat of Kefka atop his grand tower, magic had disappeared from the world and had become nothing more than a dream lost in the minds of this planet's people. A fleeting dream, one so close that you could swear it was real but still nothing more than a dream.

Umaro was dying, and there was nothing any of them could do.

"Rrrraa..." the white beast grumbled as he painstakingly rolled himself over. His cold stone colored eyes stared hatefully at the ceiling above him. Mog tried to comfort Umaro as best he could, but how does one comfort a seven-foot tall yeti?

"Kupo, you're gonna be all right friend. You're not hurt that bad . . . really! Help should arrive soon save us all," Mog sniffed. He knew this not to be true yet he said it so Umaro wouldn't be frightened in his last moments. Celes kneeled down to Umaro's right side and lifted his titan-like hand onto hers. His hands easily dwarfed hers and the scene looked like she was a small child at the deathbed of her father, trying to comfort somebody she loved so dearly. The numerous cuts and gashes on the yeti's body had dyed his once snowy colored fur into a pink tangled mess. Celes tried to stroke his fur to soothe his pain, but it was too rough and only seemed to cause him more pain.

Not wanting to be a burden to the others, the other party member spoke up to break the depressing silence, "I'm gonna find a way up this rubble. We need to find a way out and get help," Locke told Celes and Mog. They were too caught up in the moment to heed him any attention but he got his bearings from the sky through the holes in the ceiling and began to climb the north face of the cave-in.

The height to the top didn't seem that bad. It was gradual in some places but a little steep in others. Locke made a note to stay away from the more jagged rocks along his path as a few gave way at a mere inkling of a touch. One bad step from his current height and he would be in worse shape than Umaro. After the countless detours and dead ends, the master adventurer finally reached the surface. The devastation he witnessed almost caused him to fall back down one of the holes.

Narshe had been wiped off of the face of the planet. Each house and building had either been swallowed up by the expanded ravine or was blown away from the last impact. Smoldering periodic foundations of buildings remained but no sign that a town had ever existed. In other parts of the city, coal, which was the life source of the people, had caused most of the destruction to continue. The immense deposits that had lined the interiors of the cliffs collapsed onto the town crushing everybody and everything that was there. The fires on the far side of Narshe were still going strong, fueled by the over abundance of ore. He was so shaken up that the sound of a loose rock falling caused him to jump.

"Celes . . . "Locke whispered as he saw her walking to join him.

"Umaro was fading fast. Mog wanted to say goodbye in his own way before it was all over, so I let them be," she spoke to Locke, almost whimpering as she wiped a tear away from cheek, "I've seen entire cities burned to the ground. I've seen a whole village tortured and killed just to satisfy the whim of the emperor. But none of those acts were as horrible as what happened today . . ."

"Why does something like this happen," Locke asked rhetorically asked, not expecting an answer.

"I think I could answer that question," Cyan said as he jumped off his chocobo, its claws dripping with saltwater.

"Cyan!" Celes and Locke cried in unison. The former Magitek infused knight ran over and gave him a quick embrace, kissing him briefly on the cheek before Locke walked over and locked his hand with Cyan's. It was a relief, a sign of hope to see somebody else alive after hours of anguish underneath a boulder.

"I came here out of a detour, and thank god I did. Are both of you okay? I thought that perhaps the Empire had attacked us when I saw the smoke but as I got closer, I saw the cliffs and thought you were all dead . . . it wasn't the Empire, was it? What REALLY happened here?" Cyan inquired, grabbing a cloth from his chocobo's pouch to clean up Celes' wounds.

"A meteor storm appeared over the town yesterday evening all of the sudden and pounded it into oblivion. It felt as though the heavens were crumbling when the huge pieces of rock slammed into the surrounding area," Locke explained to him, "If it wasn't for Umaro . . ."

Cyan saw a diminutive figure emerge out of a one of the holes in the ground. It was Mog and his stare was fixated to the ground. Nobody had to guess what would be said next. Instead of having somebody else say it, Locke spoke first, "What Umaro did was the bravest thing I've ever seen anybody do. I have him to thank for saving all our lives. We will never forget your friend," and that was it. The group watched with patience as Mog reluctantly joined them, staying to the outside of the circle however as the discussion continued.

Baram had already begun handing each of them some of his rations and treating their wounds with proper material. He used bandages and ointments from a kit that he had brought from Doma and there were a couple moments were Locke screamed out in pain, but that soon subsided. After everyone had been taken care of, he collected what kindling he could find and started a small fire. The northern city of coal was a cold one, and in the weakened state of his king's friends, their condition could get only get worse if they weren't properly cared for. The squire took some small pieces of kindling from a decent sized pouch hanging over the side of the chocobo and tossed a few small logs over them as he got a fire started. They were soon engulfed and Locke could feel the warmth of the blaze on his injured skin, almost falling asleep before remembering to ask Cyan about what he said earlier.

"Hey Cyan," Locke asked his friend as he relaxed his head onto a folded blanket," What did you mean by saying you might know what caused this?"

"I think it may have something to do with Sir Gau. He was acting rather strange when he visited me the other day. Some of my subjects said he was carrying a glowing object which he seemed to be quite taken with. However, it was observed to use no flame and had a glasslike appearance," he informed everyone around the fire.

"Was it Magicite?" Celes said quickly, although the others had all thought of the same thing but didn't want to say it.

"Could be," Cyan continued, "if it is we need to find him fast. By the wings of the carrier pigeon, I have found out from one of my spies in Neo Vector that he was headed in that general direction. It's bewildering to think how he got over there without a chocobo, and I haven't the slightest idea why he would go-"

"You've got to be kidding! Even a master of disguise such as myself wouldn't dare get close to a place like that without backup of any kind. That's suicide," Locke told Cyan.

"I know. As much as I don't want to go there I have to. Gau is my friend. He was a great help in the battle to win back the world and helped Sabin and I when we were lost and wandering on the Veldt. We would have forever been lost on that continent had he not guided us to the underground river. I must help him in anyway I can . . . I owe him that much as a friend to at least find out what's going on," Cyan stated.

Before he had to ask for their help, Locke and Celes knew that their answer would be 'yes', "You have our support then, or at least as much as we can muster," Cyan gave them a warm smile, his mustache slightly curling as he put a thankful hand on his friend's shoulder. Once they had all agreed on the decision, they looked to the Moogle for his response.

"When do we leave Kupo?" Mog asked as a surprise to everyone.

"Daybreak tomorrow. You need to rest now and regain your strength. It will be a long trip and very hard so you'll need all the energy you can get. With that being said, see you all in the morning," Cyan said as he sat down against a rock to sleep. Baram agreed happily with that decision and soon curled up close to the fire. Even the smallest of people needed their sleep. Locke was the last to go to sleep from the group as Celes had placed her head on his lap, her long blonde hair laid over the side of his legs carefully. Thinking to himself, he stroked her hair, holding her tight with his other hand. Was he the only one worried about what tomorrow would bring?

Whatever awaited them he knew to get sleep as well, and with that, he closed his eyes and began to dream.


	10. Last Man Standing

Chapter 10: **Last Man Standing**

The fury that had possessed the frenzied soldiers had long since faded. An entire battalion, fully armed and equipped, had run out to the last known position of the intruder only to find what remained of a mangled corpse inside a melted magitek armor. His skin was totally rotten and bubbling, attracting flies in swarms. It was now midday in the southern continent of Neo Vector. Summer was upon them and the sun's unforgiving rays pelted the squads of soldiers with unbearable heat. Each soldier had since involved themselves in a search and destroy mission vital to the survival of the entire city . . . that is if they could find their target.

Finding one person amongst the rocky plains surrounding the Empire's capital city was proving harder than it sounded. The bright sun, tall grasses and fierce wind was a mixed blessing, so in order to be most effective, the battle group of one hundred split up into smaller groups. There was one "tin can" and two or three soldiers per group and after very little preparation, everybody separated from the main group and spread out to start their search.

"We got a lot of land to cover," one of the M-tek pilots told his subordinates, "lets spread out even more in case he tries to slip through the gap in our ranks."

The men mumbled some inappropriate words under their breath just out of range of their superior but carried out his orders anyways. Not too far ahead, the vibrant green tall grass of the Vector Plains awaited them. It was a welcome change of scenery from the over-mined dust-bowl region around the city where they were usually stuck on patrol. Endless fields of soft green swayed back and forth with a mere suggestion of breeze, the air flowing through the giant blades of grass crisp and clean.

Then men crossed into the miniature jungle, putting their guns on their shoulders as they used their hands to part the grass, "I could go to sleep in these fields and never wake up!" one of the privates yelled to his buddies that lived in the same dorm he did back at the bunker. He didn't have the slightest idea where they were going and it didn't help that the grassland towered well over all their heads, spreading for countless miles and masking everything. If he ran into any problems though, a shout would alert everybody to his location.

"Ha ha, hell yeah!!" his friend Hunter responded heartily, not too far off from his right side.

"If it wasn't for that ass in the armor back there I would!" the other person in the group added in, yelling at the top of his lungs. He was far to the upper left of the others and was starting to sound distant, but the other two soldiers still gave his joke a good laugh.

"Don't stray off too far now James!" the first guy screamed at him. He waited for a minute but only the wind answered him with a small gust, "James?" Still nothing. He began to walk towards his buddy's area but stopped suddenly when something in the brush made a noise. The sound of dead grass rustling and crunching right in front startled him and caused him to raise his guard, but whatever it was, it was beyond his line of sight. Moments later there was a dull thud landing on the ground close by. The soldier became even more frightened, raising his rifle and unlocking the safety, aiming it at any noise he heard. More rustling occurred and again more noise filled the shaken soldier's ears, followed by the same distinct thud from last time, only now it came from the opposite direction.

"Hunter, is that you?" The private cried out as he spun around, facing the direction of the last sound. He continued to walk cautiously backwards, waiting for a response but only hearing the far off noise of Magitek armor's moving and a few shouts from the rest of his battalion over the periodic whistling of the wind. The soldier would have continued to walk back to his friends but instead clumsily tripped over something, falling on his ass, "Stupid rock," he moaned as he rubbed away the dull pain in his butt.

Well, at least he THOUGHT it was a rock. The soldier's demeanor darkened when he brought his hand back close to his face and saw it was covered entirely in blood. During his mini-retreat, he had tripped over James' body and accidentally landed in a trail of his friend's blood gushing from a massive head wound. The skull had been split open and a dull gray matter seeped out through the canyon that had been created in his head. It was fresh . . . James' body was still warm and his heart was beating. The private was finding it hard to stomach being covered in blood and seeing brains bubbling out of another person's head.

He felt dry heaves telling him to throw up, but he fought them back and sucked it up, instead turning his head away. Something deeper inside his gut told to do otherwise and run. Maybe it was his instinct for survival, maybe it was fear . . . but whatever it was, he began to run as fast as he could towards the end of the grass were his superior waited in a powerful Magitek armor.

Each of the hulking war machines was equipped with a two-foot wide cannon capable of firing elemental blasts of fire, ice, and bolt. It created these devastating blasts through purely scientific means, using a variety of lasers, magnets, and different types of cores to achieve the desired beam. These walking tanks hardly got a chance at action since the end of the second Magi War. Nowadays, the cannon sat dormant underneath the steel cabin of the pilot, untested and unused. Its presence alone was usually enough to intimidate its foes.

The armors varied in color. Some were black; others a metallic green and a few were even shiny chrome. Each of the hues were indicators of model and make date, and a few were even custom jobs for some long-standing officers. The frames were even more impressive, towering twelve feet high, easily dwarfing their foes. The cockpits extended about five feet in length and three feet in width, designed to act as a countermeasure to the rest of the Magitek armor and keep its balance. A quick look-over of the body showed it was supported by two hydraulic legs bent like gazelles' to create maximum mobility and wide platforms attached on the feet to distribute the machine's overbearing weight.

If the soldier could make it to a M-tek armor, he would be safe.

The grass was proving difficult to run in and his gun was getting caught on it time and again. As he sped up, leaping over puddles and ditches, the strap of the gun got caught on something and was tugged out of the private's hand. It landed in the soft dirt without a sound. The soldier stopped quickly and looked back anxiously at the black gun lying against the green and brown grass. Should he risk his life to get it or should he let it lay and continue to run? His split second decision was interrupted by a swift figure passing behind him. Startled, he drew his small saber and raised it to its ready position, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he held it tightly.

The soldier listened for anything . . . a pounding of footsteps, talking, and even heavy breathing. He needed something to alert him, but all that could be heard was the whisper of wind flowing through his short brown hair. Somewhere in the distance of the seemingly endless fields, he heard a scream. A bloodcurdling scream that you'd hear coming from a person getting their insides ripped out . . .

**Further off in the tall grass . . .**

Gau slashed feverishly at the soldier's stomach until the skin parted, spilling his intestines onto the ground. The man screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his insides and throwing up blood. Gau was about to mutilate the body even farther but his cover had been blown and his spot found.

"He's over here!" a trooper close to Gau yelled to his comrades. The soldier raised his gun and fired repeatedly at the green skinned boy, but Gau was too fast and the color of his figure blurred with the grass, making him almost invisible to the naked eye. Each of the bullets penetrated harmlessly into the dirt around him or pounded through a thousand blades of prairie grass before stopping. The wild boy quickly dodged each shot, sprinting into the foliage with ease and disappearing out of sight. Without hesitation he darted towards the soldier that had shot at him, staying low to the ground like a monkey before jumping out of the brush and snatching the gun away. The soldier gasped in surprise as the small 'beast' then proceeded to throw it far away from their position. Before the gun had even landed, the soldier had his sword unsheathed, swinging furiously at Gau's body. His technique was erratic, whistling through the air with great power but with no accuracy. If the slash was high Gau leaned back, low he did a back flip, all the while moving back in closely to wait for his moment of attack. There was something feral about his movement, almost like he moved on instinct alone, easily managing to avoid every slice and stab thrown at him as though it was second nature.

"Stand still!" the desperate trooper wheezed as another swing missed the green monster. All of the unnecessary movements were taking their toll and he was getting tired very quickly. If he kept up his insane pace, he'd be at the mercy of his assailant in no time. With a lucky move, he somehow landed a deep cut on his freakishly fast foe's shoulder. Stunned for a moment, Gau jumped back and clutched his injury, screaming in pain as he examined the open flesh. Curiously, he drew a finger over the wound and brought the salty blood from his own body into his mouth.

"He he . . ." Gau laughed as a drop of it collected at the corner of his mouth and fell. Blood had begun to trickle down his arm as the lonely intruder lifted his weakened arm and beckoned the soldier to attack again. With a raised sword the soldier came down hard on Gau from above, but was surprised as he felt a radical power suddenly surge inside of the boy.

Gau caught the sword with one hand and cleaved it in two with the claws of the other. The soldier gaped in horror, his mouth wide open at the jagged piece of metal that was his last line of defense. While the infantryman stared in disbelief at the small kid's show of power, Gau made his move and jammed razor sharp claws directly into the man's chest. The soldier dropped the hilt of the sword to the ground as the monster's hand broke through his rib cage, pushing fragments of bone into his vital organs. Cringing in pain, the soldier felt Gau's hand drive deeper into his body and rupture his lung, squeezing it with a look of sadistic pleasure. He breathed in deep as Gau retracted his blood-covered limb from his chest. When the trooper went to exhale, blood spewed up and sprayed all over his uniform. He looked down, crying as he saw massive amounts of it shooting out of his body . . . he was dead before he hit the ground.

Two speeding objects came extremely close to Gau's head as he relished in the violence of the moment. He turned around and heard a group of men hurriedly approaching him. A second volley of bullets whizzed by, shredding and destroying the grass behind him. Too many things were happening at one time and yet another sound joined in the cacophony that was growing around Gau. The delirious boy saw a huge object approaching him but all he could see was the grass folding and flattening out in the near vicinity. It didn't take long to find out that the grass was being crunched underneath the wide metal structure of a single Magitek armor. Soon enough it parted the tall grass away and targeted Gau.

The soldiers on foot were extremely close. The stench of sweat and body odor hung heavily in the air and were easy to make out with the animalistic senses of the wild boy. A high-pitched whirring noise followed by a click came from the armor, thousands of points of light collected in its maw. The sulfur-like smell told him it was charging up its Fire Beam as Gau ducked low to the ground and backed away from the machine quietly.

"There he is. Get him!!!" one of the unsuspecting soldiers yelled. They rushed forward firing wildly, narrowly missing Gau and falling into his trap . . .

The final click was heard and a spark ignited the flame. With a grin and relative ease, Gau pushed off the spongy ground and leapt high into the air. A wide arcing burst of flame shot forth from the M-tek armor like an angry dragon and engulfed a hundred foot area in its fury, including the soldiers chasing Gau. The men screamed and clutched at their bubbling flesh as the flame continued to spread. The last soldier of the group that had lagged behind saw the vengeful fire swallow his friends before coming straight for him. The flames reflected off his glassy blue eyes and then quickly incinerated him.

Another sly smirk filled Gau's face as he relished in the chaos he had given birth to. He lowered himself to the ground slowly, barely hovering over the ground. He kept himself suspended a couple feet in the air above the still smoldering field, surveying the destruction. The grass had burned terribly fast and in a few minutes, and only embers and ashes now remained. There was nothing for Gau to fear anymore. The black materia had lent him its power for the moment and he was invulnerable to any attack these peons could throw at him. His attention rapidly shifted back to the pilot of the armor that had fired at him. The monstrous evil inside Gau elevated his body ten feet above the cockpit and stared down as the pilot scurried to charge up his next shot.

'_Stop messing with these weaklings . . . destroy them already,'_ a voice boomed inside Gau's head. The boy's mind screamed in pain.

'_Bring the stone to us . . . we'll show you its true power,' _a different voice bellowed. Gau gripped his hair and tried to rip it out as another flash of pain overwhelmed him.

"Yes," Gau replied to thin air, "Me understand . . . " He now acted without emotion . . . Gau was on a mission and would stop at nothing to complete it . . . even if it killed him. He went into a rage and became infused with the power of Proto Armor, mimicking the strength of the far superior brother in the family of Magitek armors.

"Shit . . ." was all the pilot could murmur as a laser beam cackled inside Gau's throat and bore down on him from the skies. With deadly accuracy it seared a 5-inch diameter hole through his chest and into the power core of the clunky machine as well. No sooner did the energy blast pass through the armor did the machine itself go critical. Steam shot out the sides and gas sprayed all over the tall grass, and in a chain reaction, the power core blew and ignited the highly volatile fuel. A second explosion blasted chunks of the chassis apart and sent red-hot shrapnel flying in all directions, killing a squad of men that were running to investigate the commotion.

Feeling cocky, Gau rose a couple hundred feet higher into the air and surveyed the mass of his entire opposition. About forty men were moving slowly to flank his last position and the remaining 29 armors had formed a makeshift parameter around the whole area making them easy targets.

"Weaklings," Gau snickered, "just like they say . . . they're all weaklings," He aimed his palms at the soldiers and let go a barrage of laser blasts from the palms of his hands. Pure energy seemed to collect out of nowhere for each deadly shot, flowing through his body like blood. Some of the beams hit their targets dead on, liquefying the bodies of soldiers while others were incinerated by the superheated shockwave that ran along the ground if the beams missed. Not one of the ground troops had a chance of surviving . . .

The hides that used to cover Gau's small frame were now tattered and barely hung on his slim body. His arms had veins jutting across them like the tributaries of a river, pumping constant surges of power and energy through his body. The poor boy's eyes had become bloodshot from the constant punishment he was putting on his body and it felt to Gau that if he had to fight anymore that his arms would fall off and his body would literally explode.

The next attack would almost succeed in doing so.

Gau had kept track of most the positions of the armors during the last bout but realized that he missed one as it discharged a bolt beam that hit him directly in the back. He winced in great pain as the cannon's beam coursed through his nervous system, shocking his heart and singeing his nerve endings. He tried to grab his back as a dark colored burn instantly formed on his skin, but during the frantic struggle he fainted from the pain and began to fall. The green, shoulder-blade length hair flowed uncontrollably behind Gau as his body went limp and fell into a freefall towards the earth. The pilots in their Magitek armors watched the boy fall like a rock, relieved that it was over but then also saw that he slowed down and almost stopped halfway to the ground.

The body of the boy shook violently as he curled himself up into a ball, digging his sharp nails into his body to the point of injury, "AHHHHHHHH!!" Gau screamed in anguish as he hovered defiantly in the air. He tensed up his arms, putting them to his sides and watching them pulse as the miraculous black materia healed his broken body. Gritting his teeth, Gau grunted and dealt with the unbearable boiling of his blood as the gash on his shoulder healed first. Soon after, his recent cuts and scratches sealed up, followed by a lightening of his dark bruises. After almost a minute of excruciating torment, he finally felt the bubbled blisters from the burn on his back sooth and disappear, his skin tightening and forming an even tougher layer than before.

"Kill him now!!" the Lieutenant yelled into his com, his voice screeching over everybody's controls. All twenty-nine cannons charging and clicking at the same time created a nightmarish symphony that was carried and intensified by the wind. In a matter of seconds the wrath of the Empire's Sixth division was released against the lone intruder. Beam upon beam struck Gau as he crouched into a ball, hoping to blunt the attack.

Each time a blast connected it sounded like thunder and looked like a miniature nuclear explosion mushrooming out in all directions. God knows how it felt inside the sphere of light and intense fire far above in the sky. For a couple minutes it seemed as though the planet had another sun, a sun whose blazes of hell punished the wicked. The few lucky infantrymen that had survived could barely stand against the heat and ran away from its path. The three different elements collided with each other over and over when they hit their target, creating a shockwave that fell down towards the ground and stirred dust and dirt in its wake. The planet itself began to cry out in pain as the explosions merely met another explosion and manifested itself further outward. Grass disintegrated from the unholy flames of the Magitek battalion and the ground spilt apart in some places, churning heavy rocks into the air. Well after this day passed, it was said that some of the blasts could be felt all the way back at the stalwart walls of Neo Vector . . .

"Cease fire!" the Lieutenant ordered his remaining pilots. His uniform was soaked in sweat from the intense heat given off when his cannon fired. Focusing his sight below the dirt cloud that had formed from the fighting, he waited for the demon to fall. The officer waited longer and still longer, but nothing fell. Once the dirt clouds had finally dissipated with the returning breeze, Gau could be seen still in his fetal position, not a mark on his body . . .

He uncurled his form and stared hatefully at the commander of the attack. A grainy black mist flowed from Gau's palms and rose like smoke from a smoldering gun into the air. Had he somehow managed to deflect the entire barrage of energy beams with brute force? The pilots could do nothing but watch as their guns cooled down, overheated from their overzealous assault. Some anticipated what was going to happen next and tried to escape from the battlefield before it occurred. Others waited from within their cockpits, more faithful in their weaponry in hopes that they could launch another attack. They were foolhardy however, and knew that even if they managed the same volley as last time, it would have no affect. They would die as soldiers in battle . . . and not as cowards.

"Such power . . . "the captain gawked as he absent-mindedly assessed the situation.

Gau closed his eyes and raised his hands over his head. A mist suddenly converged into a black vortex in the skies above and undulated ominously over all of them,

"It's impossible to have attained it . . ."

Those that looked into the vortex saw nothing. It was as if it contained the form of the cosmos before the universe itself had been born. Like dark waves of silence and death, it grew exponentially until if overshadowed all of Gau's enemies. All it took was a matter of seconds to reach an adequate size and Gau moved his hands downwards, dragging the spell slowly over his head. In moments it moved towards the ground with horrifying speed . . .

"Unless . . ."

Some of the soldiers that hadn't run away stared blankly into the entrancing spell as it approached them, perhaps to try and see its mysterious beauty right before their undoing. Or maybe, just maybe, to come and realize the secrets of the universe in the fleeting second before it hit.

"It's magic."

The borders of the anomaly curved and spiked before finally encompassing the surface of the fresh earth that had just been laid to waste. As it did, the blackness shrunk and took everything inside it like a small black hole. Even a chunk of the planet couldn't get away from the unknown dimension known only as the X-zone. A second later the spell collapsed and swallowed everything it touched. The men, the Magitek armors, and an island of land would float forever in oblivion, never to be heard of again.

**Back at area of first sighting**

A young man in his early twenties lay crying in the undisturbed tall grass. The whole time he had hid himself from the battle so that his own screams wouldn't intertwine with those of his friends. It was now a couple hours later, and all that met his ears was silence.

"I'm such a coward," he belittled himself, "I should have helped them . . ." He knew it would have been futile if he had, and that's why he chose to run away and hide instead. Somehow, amongst the deep, eerie silence which surrounded him in all directions, the man collected enough courage to take a look around. He saw a stubby tree in the distance and it didn't take a long time to climb up to the top, "Oh my god," he said in disbelief. The private thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him as he surveyed the area. Gau was gone . . . and so was everybody else for that matter. All that remained was a gigantic crater, void of plants, machines, and humans. There were still a couple charred corpses noticeable from his vantage point but not a single piece of heavy artillery was visible. He was the last man standing.


	11. Destination: Nowhere

Chapter 11: **Destination: Nowhere**

Cloud remained calm in his seat as the rest of the crew that had been running around was flung in all sorts of directions. To him, this unfolding terror was a dance in the starlight. The ship was spinning out of control, throwing people around while beams of light from a faraway star penetrated the small windows to illuminate the cabin.

A nice chunk of the hull had been ruptured with the last hit, causing the lower decks to be sealed off. To save the ship, a couple technicians would have to be sacrificed. Their beating on the metal slowly ended as the air was removed and the rest of the ship pressurized. What nightmares that would bring . . . everyone left was scurrying around trying their best to stabilize _Aeris_. It was as if Sephiroth had committed that atrocity again and _Aeris_ was falling helplessly to the ground in its final seconds.

Cloud blankly watched as Nanaki helped Vincent up the ladder and back into the cabin where the former Turk had been sleeping. He sure looked like he was out of it, but little by little he was regaining his strength. The Ancient dropped his friend off at his room and quickly proceeded to the control room. The last impact had caused the artificial gravity to fail, making it a bumpy journey for anyone to travel even one step. Spinning caused it to create fluctuations in the gravity grid and instead of floating up to the next floor, Red found himself bouncing off of each wall in order to achieve any progress to the upper levels. What seemed like minutes afterwards, and a little bruised and battered, the prodigal son of Cosmo Canyon finally reached the top of the ladder.

"What's the situation Cid?" Nanaki screamed over the blaring siren in the cockpit.

"Not good!" the captain screamed back, being bucked around in his strapped seat as he did everything in his power to bring the ship back under his control.

"We've gone too deep into the parameter of the black hole!" Shera exclaimed. Her usual precise and methodical behavior was buckling under all the pressure. In the past she would have readily gave her life in order for the mission to succeed. This time though, it was more than just her life that would have to be risked, and that was unacceptable, "Even if we stabilize we're still going to be sucked into the singularity," she stated dejectedly.

"God damn it Shera!" Cid shouted, "You always give up too easily. I'm the captain, and until today I hadn't lost one crewmember! Now think . . . there has to be a way!"

Everybody cringed as the hull screeched, shrinking a little more from the growing force of gravity from the black hole. Bolts throughout the lower levels escaped from their sockets and ricocheted off metal dozens of times before finally coming to a stop. A sudden gust of steam burst out of a broken pipe and heaved Red into the ceiling, knocking the wind out of him.

"Red!" Shera unbuckled her herself and rushed to the ancient as he landed on the ground, howling in pain. She looked back over to her significant other with dead set eyes, "If we're gonna do something, we better do it now," Shera said.

"I have an idea, but you won't like it . . ." Cid replied, turning back to the control panel coldly.

**5 minutes later**

The ship gradually stopped its constant spin and was back on course. Cid used the thrusters on the outer hull with amazing precision and had control or the _Aeris_ once more. Of course that was only in the sense of not spinning. The black hole had the ship firmly in its grasp and wouldn't let go, slowly pulling her inward.

"Here goes nothing," Cid told Red and Shera as he opened the main channel on the intercom. The ship ever so slowly lurched towards its doom as he began to speak.

Cloud had made his way to Vincent's bunk during the commotion and was already prepping him for evacuation. In his drowsy state, Vincent had no control over his motor skills. This proved difficult for Cloud as he helped him out of his spacesuit and into his equipment. The rough and ageless face of the former Turk was the only part of his appearance that contrasted with his entirely black wardrobe. He struggled to dress himself in his black shoes, slacks and crumpled cotton T-shirt as Cloud left the room to retrieve Vincent's equipment from a storage locker. Even as calm as Cloud was, when he grabbed his friend's uniform and materia, he totally forgot about the crimson cloak that had made Vincent so dark and soulless. Tossing them into a bag he slung it over Vincent's shoulder and stood him up. He was dragging the powerless man with one arm over his own shoulder when Cid's voice filtered down to their location.

"This is your captain speaking," the hissing of broken pipes and the crackling of electronics could be heard in the background as he spoke, "I'm very proud and happy as a captain that our crew has made it this far, and I just wanted to let everyone know that it has been a great honor to serve with all of you over the years. With this, our quintessential mission, our dreams of exploring the stars finally came to light. We became the first men to truly explore space, and let's hope we're not the last," Cid took a deep breath and continued, "That is why . . . I'm ordering every last person to the escape pods. We are too deep in the black hole to escape its pull, but that doesn't mean it's over. I have talked this over with Shera and she says we have only one chance of surviving. There can be no failure . . . the timing must be perfect . . . so please don't object to my orders. I am going to turn on the engines and the Return Rockets for one last push. They will be at maximum thrust for ten minutes only. It has been calculated that at our apex, if the escape pods are jettisoned at the right moment, you can all safely reach a distance where the gravity from the black hole won't affect you. I say "you" because this will be a one way trip for me."

The sound of a switch being flipped and the confirming beep of buttons sounded in the background, "Please don't let my dream die," Cid pleaded, "Starting thrust now. You have nine minutes to get to your escape transports. Good luck . . . to all of you." A computer's voice signaled the end of his message with 'Transmission ended'.

The ship jarred violently as the immense force of the rockets battled to gain ground against the endless void.

"No . . ." Cloud mouthed in disbelief. He quickened his pace and got Vincent to one of the escape pods where crewmen were already loading it with supplies such as food and water. Cloud left his comrade in arms in their care and headed for the cockpit.

**8 minutes remaining . . .**

The gravity began to fluctuate worse than before as Cloud neared the Cockpit. Sometimes he could float, and other times he had to run towards his goal. When he turned into the long hallway that led to the cockpit, he was slammed into the wall by a copper blur. A nice sized knot began to form on the back of his head where it had hit the wall.

Cloud used the intricate metal framework of the ship to pull himself up and survey what had just happened, "Red?!" He was surprised to see the ancient animal in this part of the ship. He looked pretty banged up himself.

"What are you doing here? Cid ordered a complete evac of the ship!" Nanaki growled loudly at him.

"I'm going to see if I can help," Cloud started towards the ladder but Red nosed him away.

"Don't," Red told him, shaking his head," I'm already going to lose one friend . . . don't make it two."

"Red, that's the reason why. You guys helped me and stood by me no matter what. I can't deny Cid at least a good-bye, " Cloud explained. Red conceded to him and Cloud began to climb the ladder, "Get your stuff and get to a transport. I'll see you in a short while."

Nanaki ran down the hall, his padded paws making a subtle tap with each step because of his claws. When he reached the corner to go down to the next level, he looked back once more at Cloud. He was glad to have friends such as Cloud. The thought that this could be the last time seeing him alive never crossed Red's mind.

**5 minutes remaining . . . **

Cloud was deeply moved when his spiky, yellow haired head poked quietly into the cabin that incased the cockpit. Cid sat in the pilot's seat with Shera standing next to him, holding his head firmly to her chest. The captain had grown up imagining the deafening roar of rockets, but all he heard now was the soothing beat of Shera's caring heart. The cockpit had to be the shakiest place on the ship, but in this perfect moment everything seemed to exist in absolute stillness. There was no way that Cloud would let Cid die now . . . not after seeing this love between the two which had remained hidden for years.

"Guys," Cloud stuttered. His voice cracked a little as he announced his arrival. The couple immediately turned their heads and saw the hesitant hero, blushing. Cloud's head was slightly angled downwards as though he had shamed himself by viewing such a pure act of love.

"Cloud! You're supposed to be in on of the escape pods already! You moron, do you want to die? There's only-" Cid shot at Cloud before he was interrupted.

"Less than five minutes . . . I know!" Cloud snapped back at him as nice as he could," I've come to say my goodbyes and help Shera to the last transport.

Cid mumbled a couple of derogatory comments about Cloud's intelligence but they were inaudible to anybody but himself. His mind quickly shifted back to Shera's well being as the clock on the main display reached four minutes, "Shit," Cid was scared to meet his end in this manner. All the sadness of his dream ending began to set in . . . all the anxiety swelling inside him as the moment approached . . . it all caused him to burst forth with unrelenting emotion, "Shera I love you!!"

" . . . . . " She fully embraced the captain after he bared his soul to her, "I know. I've always known. I love you too . . ." the beautiful scientist turned her neck ever so slightly and put her lips on the fearless pilot's, sharing her warmth with him for a few crucial moments before pulling away, "I never wanted it to end this way . . ." she sniffed, almost breaking down in tears.

"It must," Cid cried.

'_No it doesn't_' Cloud thought. He picked up a thick steel pipe that had become dislodged during the ship's violent trip and walked behind Cid as quietly as he could. Just as he wound up with the pipe, Shera cried out and jumped backwards. Cid never saw it coming. The pipe connected with his skull and made a dull clunky noise, knocking him out of the pilot's chair and out cold before he even hit the ground. Shera ran over to Cloud furiously and slapped him in the face, causing him to twist his head to absorb some of the hit.

She didn't mean it though. It was weak and more out of desperation than anything else. Cloud turned his head back around to look at her, to see Shera slumped to her knees crying against Cloud's black uniformed legs, "How could you Cloud?" she whimpered in futility.

"You have less than three minutes to get to the escape pod. You guys can still make it," Cloud told her without any emotion whatsoever in his voice. He lifted Cid's body with ease due to the fluctuating gravity which was once again non-existent. Shera's crystalline clear tears formed perfect water droplets and flowed upwards towards the roof of the cockpit as she viewed this man's ultimate act of kindness and love for his friends. Cloud grabbed her shoulder gently with his free hand and helped her to her feet. She swiftly made her way to the ladder and Cloud handed Cid to her as best he could. It would make for clunky maneuvering but she would manage with her lover's bulky body.

She was well on her way down when Cloud grabbed her arm again, causing her to refrain from looking for the next step and instead look at Cloud one last time. Shera truly was a gorgeous woman, even in her saddened state. The absence of gravity let her hair that had been pushed back from her unworn glasses flow elegantly behind her. Its picturesque rippling could easily be compared to being underwater on a calm, summer day. Following her slightest movement it would float around endlessly. Her eyes, on the other hand, seemed to glisten even if there was no light present. Cloud was briefly lost in her looks and suddenly she reminded him of Aeris . . . and why he was doing this.

"When Cid wakes up . . . tell him he's a lucky guy," Cloud said tearfully as he let go of her.

Shera smiled and then continued down the ladder with Cid's unconscious body. Once they had reached the start of the hallway, Cloud depressed a button on the wall near the exit and sealed all entrances to the cockpit. He hurriedly pushed his way over to the captain's seat and sat down, trying to get comfortable in the last two minutes of his meaningless life.

'_Aeris . . . I'm coming soon . . ._'


	12. Sacrifice

Chapter 12: **Sacrifice**

Black Hole 

"Let me go back! I can help him!" Shera screamed as she grabbed for the lever releasing the lock on the escape pod door.

"Do that and you'll kill us all!" Crew Chief Burns shouted as he and the other technicians struggled to hold her back. Burns had been and engineer in the Space Program ever since Cid had been picked to first pilot Shinra's first rocket. He was there that fateful day the dream died, mourning its death with his protégé and also the day it was finally realized. The senior technician was an old man, in his late 40's with slightly graying hair. He had a small build and wasn't very strong, but had amazing dexterity with his hands. Cid had hand picked him and the others for a reason on this mission. They were all experts in each of their fields, simply the best of the best on the planet. Burns and the others all had cool heads in the face of danger and could turn the tide of dire situations in their favor with sheer ingenuity and determination.

Shera, however, was only adding to the mania that encompassed the entire spaceship. She had delivered a knocked out Cid to the escape pod with little over a minute left while at the same time Nanaki and Vincent seemed to be in the same position on the opposite side of the ship. They both were desperately trying to keep their composure among the escalating chaos as the ship gained precious foot over foot of distance between itself and the Black Hole. The _Aeris'_ engines were almost drained of all fuel, now much lighter than before and doubling its speed away from the black hole. The plan was to wait until the very last moments of positive burst before launching all escape pods simultaneously. After that, it was a race to freedom. Every second was met with excruciating anxiety and at the same time with the highest level of courage from the brave crew.

Shera was clutching at the door handle, kicking and screaming at the group of men from the top of her lungs when it happened. In a symphony of wondrous noises, the escape pods initiated launch. Multiple clamps released in a blast of air and each sphere jettisoned outwards away from the main hull, "Initiating full burn in three, two, one," the pod came free from the rails that guided it and shot itself outside the perimeter of the ship. The engineers piloting each transport switched on their escape velocity rockets and prayed to god the captain's foolhardy plan would work. The blast from the small jets packed quite a punch, pressing all of the passengers into the backs of their seats. Intense friction from the black hole's hungry grasp shook everyone and everything roughly from side to side, causing the metal and each escapee to scream in cruel patience. The anxiety pushed everybody to their limits, and just as they were about to snap, it was all over. The gravitational pull from the universal anomaly lessened and both crews experienced an almost smooth ride to safety, thousands of kilometers from their original ship.

"Hey Burns," the pilot of the pod containing Red and Vincent said, "How is it looking?"

The channel between the two opened and Burns let out a sigh of relief, "We're out of harms way. Thank god . . ." he radioed to the other ship, "How's the fuel and course looking?"

"Fuel is gone, but the course is right on target. It may take a while, but the final blasts from our emergency engines should get us home," the pilot confirmed.

Red nudged his way to the small window as the pod gently spun on its axis away from the black hell that had caused so much trouble. His keen eyes opened up wide as he took in the amazing site. The escape ships seemed to have managed to put almost a thousand miles of space between the black hole and themselves. If he squinted, Nanaki could just barely make the outline of the ship. The lights of the _Aeris_ were just bright enough to cause a faint glimmer against the void around it, but in a matter of moments not even that would be possible.

'_Poor Cid,_' the ancient thought, beginning to sob softly as his long tongue licked the fur under his eyes, '_he was stubborn till the end._'

The radio silence between the two spheres was broken by a sudden cackle that echoed through Red's ship. "_Red_," the voice called, "_Red this is Shera. I have to tell you something."_

Red walked closer to the transmitter and responded to her message, "What is it?" 

"_Red," _Shera stuttered again, "_Cloud . . . he . . ." _She was finding it hard to come to grips with reality. How could she tell Red that the person that had rescued him from Shinra and stood by him when nobody else would had sacrificed himself? Deep down, Red somehow already knew what the scientist was going to say before she did, "_He stayed on the ship!_" Shera said as her heart sank in her chest, "_He knocked out Cid and told us to save ourselves! I had no choice . . . I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . . _"

Nanaki sat in silence on the other side of the com, listening to her uncontrollable sobs as he came to terms with the horrible news. Most of the crew had listened, leading them to bow their heads the head engineer continued, "_Red_, " Shera's voice pleaded with him to say something, anything at all, "_Red! Talk to me Red! Reddddd!_" her voice shrilly shooting out of the com, "_Please Red . . . don't make me feel all alone . . ."_

For the next couple minutes the ancient sat quietly in his stooped position, listening to nothing more than static. He looked out the window and watched as the spaceship became smaller and smaller.

Soon _Aeris_ would be in hell. God only knows what was going on in the mind of Cloud Strife.

**The Spaceship _Aeris_**

He had always been left out. He was the last one to get picked in sports, the last in line, the one that would have to wait until next year . . . Cloud had always wanted to be something more than what he was, to be involved in the bigger scheme of things . . . to be involved in it all. In the last two years these "things" seemed to have occurred all at once. His need had led him to a small group of freedom fighters based out of the dingy and dreary slums of Midgar. It was there that Cloud met lifelong friends he would join on a journey that spanned the entire globe, fully culminating in the toppling of an evil global organization bent on making the planet dependent on Mako, and then vanquishing the evil godlike man known as Sephiroth not once but twice. He had become a legend in his own time, a myth to those across the world. Cloud had brought

peace to millions of people.

But as soon as the planet achieved this peace, there was suddenly no need for heroes anymore, and especially no need for a mercenary like himself. Without work, the need for money, or even shelter, Cloud had no motivation and pulled away from the routine of everyday life. It happened gradually over time. There were occasional stints where he would hang out with friends for parties, dinner, and the sort, but little by little he pulled out of these engagements. In a matter of months, invitations became fewer and farther apart, and before Cid had come to Nibelheim they had stopped altogether. Even Tifa couldn't find the words to explain Cloud's eventual social collapse.

Many of his friends believed that when Cloud lost control of himself to his nemesis Sephiroth a second time during their battle in the compressed dimension, leading to the deaths of Rinoa, Barret, and many others, he just ceased to care anymore. He didn't want to allow himself to get close to anybody for fear that the same scenario could repeat itself again. But it was neither that nor any other theory anybody could come up with that correctly explained the fabled hero's withdrawal.

Cloud had experienced something worse than a broken heart in Limbo right before he had returned home. In the last few seconds when his body was fading away, he saw Aeris. He had outstretched his hand to her, and in that gesture expended a lifetime worth of hopes, dreams, love, sadness, and hate. It ended up having a profound effect on his psyche, leaving him as nothing more than an empty, soulless shell; a shell that would let nothing inside or out of it. He ceased to grow as a person, to feel for others much the way he had learned from his friends along their long, arduous journey.

Of course he wasn't devoid of all emotions. Cloud had latched onto two feelings before he left the sea of nothingness called Limbo and held them to his heart tightly; Compassion and Despair. They weren't good bedfellows, causing him anguish and extreme anxiety at times, but they had kept him going over the months. The thought of dying at any second would scare anybody, but knowing that it could happen to anybody reinforced Cloud's feeling that he was still part of the bigger picture. In the grand scheme of life we all seem insignificant, but to know that others feel the same way and still keep going makes it all worth it. Finally confronted with the situation, all he wanted to do was share it with somebody.

"_Fuel Levels critical,_" the computer warned its sole occupant, " _Shutdown in five seconds._"

By the time the message was complete, it had already begun. Cloud smiled in disbelief as the ship shut off all around him. First it was the engines, then the lights . . . soon life support would falter and become non-existent, but it didn't matter to him. He had finally become part of something worthwhile, and his sacrifice was justified. Cloud walked over to the small window by the pilot's seat and held his breath. Each step he took lasted longer and seemed sharper as the cockpit grew increasingly colder and quieter. The view outside didn't seem any better. Outer Space hid any sight of the escape pods and returned a glare just as cold as the atmosphere of the lifeless ship. Cloud's breath fogged up the window just as the ship was jerked backwards one more time by the black hole. It was getting really cold in the cabin now . . . the chill was turning Cloud into an ice cube. Layer by layer of skin tightened up as the freeze entered his body.

"So . . . . . c . . cold," Cloud murmured to himself. He lifted his palms to his biceps, rubbing them over his flesh to keep warm when he suddenly remembered those three simple words he had heard during liftoff. Cloud thought back to their liftoff weeks ago and repeated the words that had been whispered to him, '_Embrace the cold_ '. But what did it mean? Die? Embrace the chill of death? No, that couldn't be . . . but what was left in a ship that had no thrust left whatsoever and was being dragged into the most destructive force in the universe? The freeze began to slow down his reflexes but Cloud had to find a way to continue. He searched his memories for anything . . . something that Cid had told him about the ship in case of an emergency that might have slipped his mind.

Cloud scurried around, looking for anything that could save his life as the gravity came back on. The forces of the black hole sent the ship into a nasty spin and slammed the hull relentlessly, ripping away parts of the _Aeris_ before sucking the debris into its swirling mouth.This time the pull on his body was much worse, causing Cloud to fall awkwardly onto his stomach, grabbing frantically onto a bar sticking out of the ground as the new center of gravity tried to pull him to the back of the ship. He grimaced as instruments came undone and tumbled in his direction, slamming into his arms and head, doing everything in his power to keep from falling towards the back of the ship. The memory hit him like a bolt of lightning as the familiar events unraveled around him.

Cid had built the entire spaceship around the remains of the escape plane from the glorious Highwind.

His spiky, golden hair bounced as the former mercenary snapped his head around, searching for the trigger that would give him a second chance at life. In his panic a panel flipped down and began to flash red with the blinking words "EMERGENCY".

"Yes! I'm not done yet," Cloud screamed as he used his arms and upper body strength to pull himself towards the lever. Scrambling up the walls using frozen pipes and other fixtures, the former Shinra soldier saw his saving grace within his grasp. Just as he was about to reach for the handle Cloud's grip gave way, his hand slipping on ice that had formed on the pipe from perspiration.

'_No!_' Cloud thought as he desperately clawed to grab onto something else. His body slammed hard up against an out jutting metal before finally managing to stop his body against the wall. However, he had lost half of the distance and time was quickly running out. Things weren't looking good for Cloud but suddenly they got worse . . . again.

"_Hull strength down to 50,_" the computer warned. Cloud was amazed that power was still running through the thing. A couple seconds later it came back on, "_Hull strength to 45,_" The ship was starting to buckle. Cloud had to act soon. He summoned all his remaining energy and forced his way back up the wall, making sure with each reach that he wouldn't slip. Once he made it back to where he was before, Cloud jumped over to the pilot seat and pulled his body upright and came face to face with the lever.

"_Hull strength 35,_" the time was almost up for the ship, its destruction was inevitable.

"Here's to living," Cloud smirked and pulled the lever. It extended halfway down before locking itself in place, "Nooo! No, no, no! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!" Cloud shouted in disbelief as he tugged the handle as hard as he could. But it wouldn't budge another inch no matter how hard he tried. Ice had gotten into the emergency unit and ceased all its functions.

"_Hull strength 20. Time left to breech, two minutes,_" Cloud was really getting tired of that thing.

It was do or die now. He continued to pull the handle down with his left hand and began to slam his fist down as hard as he could on the steel to break the ice.

"Come on you stupid fucking machine!" with the curse the lever moved down a little. Figures . . . Cid never could get anything to work unless he cursed at it. Cloud continued to hit the box and swear and the lever continued to slide out. It had become so cold that you could almost see the profanity forming in the mist coming from Cloud's mouth.

"GOD DAMNIT!" with one last slam of the fist the pull lever fully extended and Cloud heard hundreds of gears and mechanisms going to work around the ship. Rockets powered up and auxiliary power lit up the cockpit and re-activated the life support. Hydraulics sounded only too soon enough, acknowledging the release of the escape plane from the main hull. Cloud sat in the pilot seat once again and strapped himself in while breathing a sigh of relief. The separation blast kicked him back into the seat before the thrusters kicked in shot him forward. Soon he would be safe and on his way home.

Outreaches of Black Hole 

Nanaki had watched for the last couple minutes until the spaceship was overwhelmed by the darkness. He was about to give in and turn away when a ray of hope alerted him. Nanaki saw some faint lights flicker on followed by a small explosion located near the _Aeris_.

"Everybody look!" the canine shouted with joy.

Cid had awakened in the other escape pod and crammed his face along with Shera's into the small window to see what Red was talking about. They all saw the ending of another small explosion then cheered happily when they saw the escape plane making its way towards their position.

"That son of a bitch!" the recovering Cid cheered in disbelief before reeling from the pain in his head that the yelling caused him. A little bit softer he said, "He did it!"

Escape Ship 

The explosion added to the propellant from the ship moved Cloud fast enough and far enough away from the Black Hole that the ship became free from the black monster's restraints and flew unhindered. Cloud saw the main body of the _Aeris _through the window in the back of the ship as it began to slowly crumple and disappear. He snickered at the thought of what the computer was going through at that exact moment.

He continued to watch until the ship hit the middle of the spatial gate and disappeared entirely. Satisfied that he was safe, Cloud found the com button and opened up a channel to his friends in the escape pods, "Guys," he announced calmly, "I'm alright."

A transmission came back to him right away in the form of hysterical laughter and cheering.

"_You did it Cloud!_" Shera praised him jubilantly from one of the pods, "_I don't believe it but you did it!_"

Red was the next one to reply, "_Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again . . . you hear me?_"

Vincent's voice appeared in the background as Red continued to transmit, "_What's going on?_"

"_Cloud is alright Vincent! He saved us all from the Black Hole! Don't you remember?_" Red scolded Vincent and then laughed out of relief as he beckoned the dark man to the com panel. In light of all the excitement, he had forgotten that Vincent had been passed out for the last hour or so. Cloud waited a minute but all he received was a cold "thanks". Vincent was back to his old self again, emotionless to the end. The normality of it all was a breath of fresh air to the once tense environment of the _Aeris._

"Don't worry about it Red," Cloud broadcasted. I'm almost on top of you guys. We'll dock those things with the escape plane and get everybody back together."

"I can't wait to get some leg room again, "Crew chief Burns joked with the rest of the crew in his pod. The all laughed in agreement.

Shera radioed Cloud on the com as he got closer, "_I'm going to walk you through the docking procedures, alright Cloud_?" She asked him.

"Right, what's the first step?" He responded.

"_Turn off your rockets now and use the thrusters to position yourself, then . . ._" Shera stopped right in the middle of her sentence as she looked out her window at what was behind Cloud's ship. The Black Hole was expanding with amazing speed, reaching around all three ships in a matter of seconds and closing in on them.

"Cloud get out of here now! Save yourself!" Shera screamed hysterically as she fumbled with the buttons on the pod to move it.

"Wha?" Cloud looked behind his ship but it was too late. The deep black void flew towards him in an evil wave and absorbed everybody.

End Book I 


	13. Growing Pains

Book II – Times of Change 

Chapter 13: **Growing Pains**

Fanatics Tower 

"What do you mean you have to go?" Gabe asked his daughter as he felt his tough outer exterior start to weaken and his fatherly side beginning to show. How was it possible that Phoebe was this old already? Her golden hair was long and past her shoulders now, along with facial features that were very becoming of a girl her age. His daughter had become a woman literally in the blink of an eye.

"You're so silly daddy," Her response was juvenile in context but in some way logical to Gabe, "Kids go through growth spurts all the time!"

"But not three feet in one day!" He shot back at his daughter who had been an infant only a day earlier . . . but now . . .

Over the course of the night the priests had become bruised and bloodied in their task of detaining the little girl and were eternally grateful that Gabe was now there to take her off their hands. It was a miracle that they were still alive. The girl had thrown everything in the room at them, showcasing amazing strength that no child should be capable of when throwing tantrums. If they tried to grab her and put her into bed, she would fling them away easily and continue going about her business, not heeding their calls so she could devote time playing with toys that littered the nursery.

They thanked their blessed Kefka for protecting them through the evening and proceeded as fast as they could out of the nursery while Gabe distracted the so called "blonde devil". All ten of the priests made a mad dash for the door, screaming and clawing at each other when they became cramped up in the doorway. They pushed through the exit with ferocious anxiety, not caring about injury as long as they left their personal torture chamber. After a few seconds they were gone and the master of the tower found himself alone.

Gabe wasn't prepared for all the drama that had occurred in the last few days. The death of his wife Cirra and the break-in of the Returner's had left the bitter taste of needlessly shed blood in his mouth . . . and now this.

"I can hear mommy's voice," Phoebe told her father as she climbed up on a rocking chair and looked out the window of her penthouse nursery," She's telling me to come and see her! She told me that she misses me . . . Daddy, can I _please_ go?"

"What? No!" It wasn't possible. Cirra had passed away two nights ago . . . "No going anywhere until I straighten this out, okay Phoebe?" This was all too strange Gabe thought to himself. Should he tell his daughter that her mother was dead and that it wasn't possible to be talking with her? Would she even understand the concept of death, or of love that a parent has for their child? But then again, under the circumstances anything could be possible.

He stared at the floor and tried to comprehend what was happening and how something like this was possible. The most difficult thing to explain was WHY it had happened now, and why to him. There had to be an explanation, some reason why he had been chosen to walk this cruel path that destiny had set before him. Deeper contemplation only drew blanks in his mind which caused his focus to shift over to the crib that he had made with his own two hands months ago in preparation for this week.

The thick bars of wood it had been composed of were cracked and broken on the floor, splinters lining the floor around all sides of Gabe. The clothes that had been made for Phoebe had been ripped to shreds and lay on the floor, leaving her almost bare except for a few strategically placed patches of what was still fitting over Phoebe's body. The leader of Fanatics Tower was a strong man of both mind and body, and one of his defining qualities was reason. But taking it all into account, thinking about every possible scenario had weakened him. He began to let any explanation cloud his mind, no matter how convoluted or spectacular it seemed . . . and then it dawned on him.

His daughter was put on this planet for a reason. Her story thus far seemed like that of a legend, something that happened only once every thousand years. Gabe didn't want to believe it, but Phoebe had been fated for something other than to be his child before he had ever come into existence.

'_She looks older already,_' he told himself, coming back into the moment after a few minutes in thought.

"May I go, Pleeeease?" Phoebe pleaded while grabbing on her dad's arm.

No one can stop fate, nobody can change what has already been predetermined since the beginning of time . . . Gabe knew this, he believed it.

" . . . " Gabe debated the consequences of his next action with both logic and the love in his heart, "Okay . . . you can go,"

Love won the battle.

"Before you leave though, come up with me to your mothers room. There are some things she would have liked you to have," he said, forcing a smile, "you need some clothes too," They both laughed as he put a woolen blanket over her naked skin and led her out of the nursery. Gabe held the blanket tightly around her innocent body and picked her up into his arms for the first time. Phoebe's hands draped around his wide, bulging neck and her smooth, childlike face pressed against his chest. Sadly, it would probably be the last time as well. The tough man felt bittersweet, holding back the feeling to sob as his daughter moved in lovingly against his embrace and snuggled against his warm body. Her father opened the door of the nursery with his free hand, a refreshing updraft surging up from below and meeting them as they stepped onto the stairway. The gust blew a couple strands of her shoulder length hair over her nose and caused her to sneeze. Gabe thought it was cute, chuckling at her misfortune before she turned and stuck out her tongue at him. They both had a good laugh while journeying up the stairs, but the fun died down as they got closer to the place where Gabe had lived peacefully with Cirra for the past few years of their lives.

Their paradise which stood on top of the world . . . the upward climb didn't take long at all, and in no time he was home, opening the door to the bungalow with a heavy heart while walking in with Phoebe on his shoulders. Gabe sat her down carefully onto the ground, letting her wander around as he took in the sight of the same exact room, the same exact feelings which had filled him the other night. He swore to himself that her scent was still there, lingering on the sheets where Cirra had once lain, soaked and stained with sweat. Water stained the ground and carpet from priests that had been careless carrying bowls of it to the bed, and blood could be seen on wrinkled up sheets near the foot of the bed where the baby had been delivered. It was still so fresh in his mind . . . so painful to be here again so soon . . . but it was necessary.

"Here are your mother's clothes," Gabe said as he pointed to a chest against the white painted wall, "Put some of those on. She would have wanted you to have them . . ." Phoebe skipped over to it as fast as she could and excitedly open the lid. Her total lack of concern or any inhibitions pained Gabe deeply as he watched her fling her mother's clothes everywhere, sorting through what she liked and didn't like. While doing so, the blanket her father had placed across her shoulders fell, revealing her naked backside to him.

"Whoa!" Gabe said, thrown completely off guard by her lack of decency. A normal father would have been used to an accident like this, changing diapers and giving their child baths over the year . . . but everything in this father/daughter relationship was far from normal, "Just tell me when you're done, okay? " He continued while turning around and looking out the window. The rays of sun shone brightly through the double pair of windows, illuminating the poorly lit bedroom in an almost angelic light. Only after a few moments, the shuffling behind him ceased.

"Kay daddy, I'm done" she told him abruptly. He twisted around slowly, catching her visage out of the corner of his eye . . . he almost cried.

"You look just like your mother Phoebe," Gabe comforted her, returning a slight, uneasy smile. His daughter wore a silky forest-green dress on top of a pair of comfortable brown pants. To top it off she wore a pair of walking boots which were a little big but she would manage. It seemed more like a battle uniform than something a dainty girl such as herself would wear . . . but if that was what she wanted, Gabe couldn't tell her no.

After modeling the outfit in the mirror for a few seconds, twirling around, Phoebe sighed and faced her father reluctantly, "Well, I'm going now," She stated, walking slowly towards the door. Her father remained silent, his head bowed in thought and remorse, letting her pass by without any acknowledgment.

"Wait!" Gabe yelled to her. The instincts of a father were still new to him, but he knew that she couldn't leave just as she was, "You're going to need some protection on your journey. I'm going to send-"

"No," Phoebe cut him off, " I have a feeling that mother would have me go alone. Sorry dad . . ."

"Let me give you something to keep you safe at least," Gabe rebutted as he grabbed his daughters arm lightly and led her eagerly to an impressive closet on the opposite side of the bed. He searched for the key that he hid at the foot of the bed, finding it and then unlocking the doors. They creaked from months of disrepair as they swung open all the way, and upon doing so, the father began to explain stuff to his child.

"This is my battle chest. Over the years I have collected countless treasures, weapons, and armor to be used in times of need, " He had swords from the best traveling merchants in Nikeah and S. Figaro, daggers from Tzen, sabers from Albrook . . . all of different shapes and sizes, and rare armor that he found in chests hidden in the deep caves of the wilderness, "You'll need a good weapon. People might try to hurt you while-"

"Mommy will protect me daddy, stop worrying, k? But that brown thing does look nice!" Phoebe said as she grabbed for a thick leather chest guard, "And that robe is pretty as well!"

"This one?" Gabe grabbed his old Tao Robe off its hanger and laid it over his shoulder. Phoebe nodded in agreement and held out her arms as father put the armor on her first. It looked too big at first glance, but once Gabe adjusted the straps and fixed it on her it was fine. After carefully tightening the armor onto her body, he lowered the vibrantly colored robe over her shoulders, straightening it so it covered most of his daughter's body, "This Robe will be very useful. It was once owned by a powerful shaman I knew, back during a time when magic existed. He imbued it with great magical properties, allowing it to mimic any surroundings and camouflage its wearer. However, now the thing is just a plain old robe."

"But it's still pretty!" Phoebe smiled politely at her father even thought she didn't care.

Gabe chuckled, "Yes, yes it is," He smiled to her and she grinned even more. She got on her tiptoes and pecked her dad on the cheek, leading him out the doorway before he could find another excuse to keep her their longer than she wanted to stay.

They didn't realize it at the time, but they had been inside the tower for quite a while. The sun had rose high into the afternoon sky already amongst a few scattered clouds. The entirely metal tower was starting to heat up in the sun, but before it became unbearable to walk on, the two made it to the bottom. A few priests were in the middle of their daily prayer, pacing back and forth along the ground, chanting to the Great Kefka when they saw Gabe come down the stairs with the young woman. Being taught to not ask questions directly to their master, they simply approached him and bowed in respect before going back to their prayer.

It seemed to take forever to get to the foothills of the mountains, but they eventually did. Gabe sure didn't want her to leave him . . . but this was fate. Phoebe looked for one last time at the tower that bore her as it blocked out the sun. It glowed on all sides, appearing to be a huge pillar of light. As she took in the sight for the first and last time, Gabe began to say his farewell.

"So this is good bye?" Gabe asked his daughter softly, almost sadly.

She snapped out of her sudden daze and responded to his query with a prompt tone in her voice, "You make it seem as though I'm not coming back," she was already sounding more mature, "I'll be back once I find mom, alright daddy?"

Gabe seemed to accept that response and Phoebe flashed him one last warm, carefree smile before taking the first step of her journey. The high priest watched sadly as she slowly faded from his view through the winding path leading out of the jagged mountain range, but as soon as she was gone he became his old self once more.

His thoughts shifted back to that of his affairs and to his plans that needed to be carried out before the deadline. The man became calm and cool headed before stomping towards the priests in the middle of their prayer and stopping their procession. With bowed heads they continued to tread forward, not departing from their single file line and bumped into their master with a jolt. They had no idea that Gabe was standing there till the lead bishop slammed into the head priest's rock hard body and tumbled backwards. He took a couple followers down with him to the ground and caused quite a stir.

"Something very bad seems to be going on. I want her followed, " their leader said coldly as he looked for his daughter's outline on the horizon.

"Yes sir, let us go get some supplies and-" the bishop's response was cut short as Gabe barked another order at them.

"No! Leave now!" Gabe shouted, "I can't risk losing her. I'll send more to assist you later. We can no longer be cautious and sneak around. And get rid of that stupid accent."

The eight worshippers of Kefka quickly took off their robes and revealed their true colors as agents of the Empire. They lined up in a formation before leaving, allowing their superior to give them a once over before heading out. All wore the same outfits now; a brown Iron Helmet with the insignia of the Mighty Empire, worn down but sturdy battle boots, and matching buttoned long sleeve shirts and pants. The bishop removed his robe to show underneath that it was the same outfit as the others except in different shades of green instead of their brown brown. Out of preference and against protocol, the sleeves on both his arms had been rolled up to reveal his bulky forearms in an intimidating manner. On his left shoulder were three embroidered crests of the Empire, indicating the rank of Commander.

"What are you guys messin' around for? You heard the general! Move out!" The commander shouted at his men, causing them to scatter and start on their mission right away. He then turned back to Gabe, " So I'm guessing that it's finally over, isn't sir?"

"Yes," Gabe replied. After 10 years of deep cover with the zealots at Fanatics Tower and Mount Zozo, it was finally time for the Empire and his Gabe's special-ops team to pull out. The plan would soon be in motion . . . it was finally over.

"Why did you make the decision to pull out now sir?" The commander questioned his superior.

"There is nothing left for me here . . ." Gabe told his subordinate as he thought about why he came back in the first place. He held such great memories of the tower. Playing as kids with Cirra and always getting caught by the guards, getting in trouble with his "parents", his first kiss on the rooftop with Cirra . . . the painful goodbye when he left the confines of the tower to see the world when in reality he was returning to Vector for training, the joyful look on Cirra's face when he returned, hearing that he was going to be a father . . . and then Cirra's death. His world shattered and all the feelings spilled out in the form of anger.

"Nothing?" the commander asked.

"Yes, nothing at all." Gabe sullenly replied, clenching his teeth and tightening his fist.

"What about the King of Figaro? He could pose us trouble if we let him stay here and live. The priests are already going to be suspicious enough," the commander continued to press Gabe for answers, pressing his luck to the edge at the same time.

"Leave him to me. I think that its time we had some fun with his majesty."

"What do you have in mind sir? Torture?" The commander still hounded Gabe instead of catching up with his squad, but it was okay for now.

"Oh, I have something MUCH worse planned for Edgar," Gabe said, smirking, "He's going to be a participant in 'The Tournament'."


	14. Arrival

Chapter 14: **Arrival**

Inside the black hole was terrifying. Void of all energy, it was a deadly black ethereal mist that sucked away any light that dared to come in contact with it. The three ships tumbled and bounced against one another, tossed against the inner walls of the singularity as they continued the final moments of their journey . . . locked in dreadful, silent, darkness. Madness and panic quickly spread inside each cockpit as people scrambled to get the instruments back online of the escape ships, hoping to activate life support before everyone died of horrible asphyxiation. Their frightened voices and vein screams nullified before the noise even left their lips.

Those that weren't madly smashing buttons cowered in fear, bracing themselves and holding on to one another, waiting for the immeasurable amounts of gravity to crush their ships and bodies within them at any second. They could only hope that it would be quick and painless, merely a blink of the eye and their lives would be over . . . but as the moments passed, and turned into seconds . . . and those seconds turned into minutes . . . the final judgment of their lives never happened. They waited in awe and humility, still holding on for dear life as nothing happened. The ships were pitch black, all sound gone . . . the only sense left to the crews of these ships was touch. Their bodies were still warm, their hearts still beat in their chests . . . and in an instant, each ship shook with horrible force and seemed to shoot faster than light into the exact middle of the black hole. Both escape pods and the plane kept accelerating to mind blowing speeds, seeing specs of light bend and stretch for miles on end in their cabin windows as their bodies felt like they'd be torn apart. Trillions upon trillions of light particles sped by their ships in streaks of white as they went beyond the speed of light, defying all comprehension.

Cid and Shera's pod was the first to experience the awesome speed, one by one the engineers and members of their crew passed out from the radical G-forces being put on their bodies, almost totally restricting the blood flow to their brains.

The view for Cloud was much more severe, almost nightmarish as the remains of the _Aeris_ were pulled deeper and deeper. The hull of the ship of the ship from the original Highwind has been made completely of windows, and right now Cloud WISHED it hadn't been. Liquid light seemed to flow over the few centimeters of re-enforced glass above his head . . . the particles of energy slammed into ship as the vessel went past the speed of light, flowing in contradictory directions all over the hull of the escape ship. He couldn't tell if he was going forwards, backwards, up, OR down . . . the gold haired pilot about to throw up until the final shock rocked his body, sending the ship lurching forward with one last boost of speed and knocking him unconscious.

It wasn't much different in Nanaki's escape pod. Vincent's condition weakened his body and he was the first to succumb to the punishing forces wracking the ship. All hope seemed to be lost . . . who was left and where was this wormhole taking them? The ancient body of Red's was tougher than those before him and he still stood, although unsteadily, aware and awake of what was happening around him. He had the pleasure to see the first glimpse of pure light at the end of cosmic highway. The source of it slowly peeked in through the window and covered Red's body, along with the others. Warm and soothing, it kept his worried heart at peace. There was still a chance . . .

They were still being hurled somewhere at millions of miles per hour, forward so fast that the ship began to vibrate from the friction being put against the hull from microscopic space particles. Every passing moment led to another crewmember succumbing to the power of the forces against their bodies until Red alone was left. At this point, the ancient wanted it all to be over, for the force to overtake him. Was some higher entity playing a cruel joke on him, seeing how long he and the others could take this mental and physical misery until they snapped? No matter what Red expected to happen or predict to happen in the time that passed shortly after, it never did. He had seen the light, and for the rest of the trip he braced himself for the inevitable. The bronze beast felt as though he was prepared for anything . . .

An explosion of light suddenly filled the pod, and soon after it faded. In the brief moments that followed, the pod came to very nasty, abrupt halt. Red was caught off guard and thrown violently against the wall, denting the air purifying system and breaking most of the ribs on his right side in the process. The shock sent him into a stupor, finding himself groggily dragging his body with his two good legs to the window, compelled by some unknown feeling. Nanaki was blacking out, exhausted and battered from his ordeal, but something inside him kept him succumbing to his injuries. Staring out the window, a globe of blue, green, and white met his gaze. In awe of the inspiring, beautiful sight he saw before him, Nanaki slipped out of consciousness. His body fell the ground, limp . . . a faint whisper leaving his lips as his last words . . .

"_I can hear the planet's voice_"

Skies above Mobliz 

Freshly out of their prison and floating near a planet in an unknown galaxy, the ships spun forward slowly, their inhabitants unaware of the fate set before them. The two metal orbs were easily caught in the planet's gravitational pull and quickly began to orbit the planet, slowly descending lower and lower into the crisp atmosphere of this lush blue orb. The same happened to the escape plane, the much larger vessel descending at a faster speed . . . to fast perhaps. If somehow the pods and plane managed to land okay, Cloud and the others would be safe. That is, at least for the moment. Without a conscious pilot to fly each transport, it was impossible to know where each pod would crash, and whether or not they would survive the impact. As luck would have it, Red's ship was the first to fall out of the sky, thousands of feet to the ground below . . .

Town of Mobliz 

Mobliz had once been a town like any other on this planet. A small community made up of farmers, blacksmiths, carpenters, merchants . . . but during the year of chaos, the city had been ripped apart and left for dead. The earth opened up, swallowing masses of people in mere moments, and those that survived drowned the in rushing flood of water that followed the sudden changes in tide. Entire families were lost, and many children were abandoned and became unfortunate orphans in the matter of a few minutes. Ever since that fateful day the children had to take care of themselves. There was an unspoken rule that you took care of whomever was smaller than you. You'd make sure that they ate more food than you and that they stayed warmer during the bitter nights that followed an ever darkening day. Following that system they surely would have perished, if it hadn't of been for their savior.

A glowing being fell to the ground from the heavens, immediately reverting back into her human form. Not knowing what to do the children rushed her to their shelter where she stayed for weeks until fully recovering from her wounds. When she finally awoke and saw all these children looking over her, this woman cried . . . sobbing at the dirt covered faces of the orphans. She felt that this new fate that they had to endure was entirely her fault for being unable to stop Kefka on the floating continent, so she took it upon herself that she would endure their pain too. The former magitek solider named Terra became these hopeless kids' guardian. She stayed with them and protected them from the threats of this new, fearful world. It wasn't until her old friends happened upon the town and promised a revolution, an end to all this sadness, that Terra left the children alone. Once she left for the final confrontation with Kefka, the children never left her heart. Eventually she did return to the town, and once again became the surrogate mother to the diminutive inhabitants of Mobliz. Her powers had faded with the destruction of magic, but she was happy taking care of the little ones that had touched her heart just as a regular woman. Her true strength never came from her Esper powers, but from the love that had been locked in her heart for so long.

After the fall of Kefka, hundreds of volunteers made pilgrimages from all over the world to help. They were touched by the courage of these young children who had to grow up without parents and with little chance of survival. Many of the smaller kids were adopted and taken to new homes. A few moved in with distant relatives, but a majority of the population decided to stay, and were taken care of by Terra. Their city was rebuilt almost overnight through the hard work and sweat of carpenters and volunteers from surrounding towns. They also planted crops and other flora to beautify the area and established a trade route that connected the town to the other cities on the continent and a water route as well. The children still had a stake in the town itself, and owned the land once held by their family, but farms had popped up around the city, and new shops were on the outskirts of the city limits. Once a month supplies either arrived by land or sea through the generous donations from places such as South Figaro, Kohlinghen, and Doma. This system relieved Terra of any anxieties she held about the town or the kids well being. Well, as any good mother would do, she did need to worry about the kids, and worry she did . . .

"Billy? Thomas?" Terra yelled at the top of her lungs. All the other children had already gone inside and were already sitting down to eat their dinner except these two boys. It was always them who wanted to stay out a bit longer and play, no matter how hungry they seemed to be, "Boys its time to eat!" she tried once more. This time she heard giggles not to far away and began to walk toward them sneakily. The boys probably thought they were slick but Terra was much smarter than she let on to be. She decided to play their game and acted like she gave up, "I guess they were gobbled up by some monsters, and if not, I bet they will be soon! Oh well," she sighed as she crossed her arms behind her back and walked nonchalantly towards the dining hall, "I guess that means more desert for us as well," she said rather loudly, making sure that the boys had heard her, "I absolutely love those double chocolate chip cookies from Nikeah. They are so soft and chewy . . ."

The two boys couldn't take it anymore, cookies were their weak point.

"I want some cookies!" Billy cried out as he ran out from behind a large barrel that sat in front of an unfinished house.

"Me too!" Thomas chimed in, running with his hands pumping the universal 'gimme gimme' sign. Halfway to his adopted mother, he tripped and fell flat on his face. He felt his face suddenly run hot with embarrassment as he breathed in a few grains of dirt.

"Oh no!" Terra exclaimed in a very worried tone. She ran as fast as she could to him but it was too late. He started crying a river, wailing at the top of his lung. Terra picked him up and dusted him off as she put him against her chest, trying to comfort him, "There there now," she swayed back and forth, "you alright?" The seven year old shook his head '_yes_' but the tears he was trying to hold back at the moment said otherwise. The gentle, emerald haired woman couldn't help but smile as she wiped his tears away, "It's going to be okay," she consoled him while hushing his whimpering.

Thomas responded to her soft words by latching onto her neck and giggling, "Hey! Come on now!" Terra joked with the boy as he continued to hang on her neck even when she lifted him off the ground.

"Give me a piggy back ride please!" he asked with his cutest voice and widest eyes. Terra couldn't refuse his innocent stare and motioned for him to hop on. It only took him a second and was locked on, wrinkling his mother's favorite white sundress in the process. Little stains had built up over the months but the small sunflower designs could still be seen around the bottom along with an avatar of a moogle. It was the kids' favorite outfit, they always loved to see her wear it. After Katarin and Duane had their child, everybody scrimped and saved and bought it for their adopted mother. It was a small token they could share with somebody they loved so much. Terra had only walked a couple feet when Billy started to cry.

"I'll give you a piggy ride later, okay Billy?" She bargained with the other boy. However, the crying didn't cease. The little boy kept crying and ran past Terra as fast as he could. "What's wrong Billy?" Terra asked the frightened child.

"It's the bad man! He's back again! Don't let him get you mommy!" Billy shouted as he pointed to the sky above their quaint village. Terra looked up and saw what he meant. A huge ball of fire streaked through the early evening sky, leaving a trail of fire and smoke in its wake. It was headed straight for the city and she only had moments to react.

"Get underground NOW!" Terra ran as fast as she could and overtook Billy, picking him up as she madly dashed towards the house that led to the underground cave. Thomas held on for dear life and stayed on Terra's back, starting to cry again as her breathing quickened and eyes became full of fear. The fireball was screaming now and seemed to injure the sky in its wake, falling at hundreds of miles an hour. The frightened few had almost made through the door when the object hit the ground. It sent a massive quake through the ground and threw them off their feet and onto the ground. The lights shuddered and down below bewildered screams rang out.

The unknown object had crashed through the unfinished house they had been at only moments ago. It shattered the walls and crumbled the foundation as it blasted out the other side and dug into the dirt, creating a long scar in the ground before coming to a stop. Its superheated structure had set the broken wood aflame and threatened to put the entire village in flames. When Terra finally built up the courage to poke her head out the safety of the house, she saw that the orb that had done all this damage was smoldering a few hundred feet from the fallen house. It was metallic in appearance, a dull, dirty green with burn marks all over the surface from its fall through the atmosphere.

"Stay here you two," Terra told Thomas and Billy as she crept toward the metal ball apprehensively for a closer inspection. It was very dangerous, perhaps even stupid, but only she could do it. She was scared, taking each step with the utmost of caution. It was as if she feared the ground beneath her feet wasn't entirely stable and could give-way at and second. The closer she went, the hotter the air seemed to be. Sweat beaded off her brow and dripped down her neck. It became so hot at one point that Terra had to stop walking forward and back off until it cooled down, using this time to make sure that the children hadn't followed her.

Dirt and soot were settling in layers on top of the grass and buildings close to the ship when she was finally able to journey forwards once more. With her first step steam shot out of the pod for a couple seconds in a loud whoosh. It caught her off guard and she felt on her backside, quickly scurrying backwards along the ground. Once it had cooled, the latch to the door exploded and blew the door off its hinges, letting it land a couple yards away and leaving a heavy depression in the soft dirt. Stale, recycled air came out of the interior of the ship and blew around leaving the capsule wide open to prying eyes, but Terra had already made her way back to the waiting arms of the boys and was watching to see what would come out of the darkness. She hoped that whatever it was, it was friendly . . .

"Look at that!" Billy shrieked as he pointed to a paw shakily sticking out of the door. Another paw followed and soon the figure of a proud beast emerged from the hole. A feather shifted gently in the mane of the animal as wind blew past it. Blood dripped in many places from its body which seemed to have an effect on the creature's balance. No sooner had it evacuated the escape pod, the beast's legs gave way and caused it to fall to the ground in an unmoving heap.

"Monster!" Thomas screamed as buried his face in Terra's dress. He became too scared and ran underground to hide. Red may have been a monster in appearance, but little did they know of the huge role he would play in saving their world.

Skies above Neo Vector 

Cid and Shera's pod had flown a great distance over the strange land. Their trajectory had been set automatically by the ships undamaged navigation system and they were now falling towards the signs of what seemed to be a great city where they could be helped when woken up. The name of the city was Neo Vector: an immense metropolis spanning for countless miles in every direction. Roads formed an intricate design resembling a spider web all the way up to the outer walls of the city, which protected it from attacks and other dangers such as the monsters that roamed its wastelands. But that wasn't the only form of transportation. Located on the top floors of most military controlled skyrises were cavernous hangars that sheltered thousands of fighter planes and Airbases of the Imperial Royal Air force. There were also coal-powered trains that ran to and from all the major parts of the city. Most were used for transporting cargo, but a few took passengers as well. If Cid and Shera had been conscious, they would be hard pressed to distinguish Neo Vector from what Midgar had looked like decades ago on their planet before Mako had been discovered. Soon they would find out that another similarity between the cities was the dictator-like control of the Vector government and how it so closely resembled the cutthroat mega conglomerate known as Shinra.

**Bar in the Slums of Neo Vector**

"You heard about the monster that attacked us yesterday?" the pub drink slobbered as he asked his traveling merchant friend.

"God, that's been the talk of the town forever, of course I have," the drunk's friend harshly replied as he poured a shot of Chocobo Jack whiskey into a glass.

"The higher ups have ben saying that it was sent by those Returners," the man continued, stumbling over his words, "There's been talk of war too."

"Yeah, I head about that," the merchant responded as he tipped his glass back to drink. Right as the liquid left the glass, a loud boom rang out and shook the entire establishment, knocking over bottles and drunkards alike who fell to the floor. The bartender dodged a glass as it fell from above and tried to save whatever alcohol he could from the bottles that had tipped over. He had to get soaked in the alcohol first before he realized it was an utterly useless task.

"What the hell . . ." the merchant was the first to talk, hell, he was one of the only ones that hadn't passed out that afternoon already. His drink had been spilled all over his work shirt and he tried to wipe it off. His friend the drunk was laughing his ass off at what had just happened to him. The merchant shot him an unamused stare and the abruptness of the gesture caused the drunk to fall out of his chair. When he didn't get back up right away, the merchant got up from his seat to check on him. He walked over to buddy thinking the worse but was relieved when he heard deep snoring coming from him . . . he had passed out. After propping the chubby drunk man in a sleeping position on the table, the merchant ran outside to see what had just happened.

As soon as the door was opened and he walked outside, somebody running by bumped into the merchant pretty hard and sent him to the ground. Focusing as hard as he could, the merchant got back on his feet and followed that person down the street. No sooner had he ventured into the sector square was he met by a plethora of onlookers. A long gash in the pavement cut the top layer of the square in half and finally ended where the group of people gathered. The merchant continued to press onward through the growing crowd and saw that whatever had done this had crashed though the wall of an apartment building on the northeast side of the square. Rubble was still dropping from the fresh hole and furniture had been thrown all around. It was probably lodged in the interior of the building so he would have to get really close if he wanted to see it. The crowd had grown in upwards of 200 people by the time he pushed his way to the front. He saw a shiny object, perhaps metal … and was about to venture inside to see what it was when the military showed up.

All dressed up in their official uniforms of brown and green, they entered the building from another entrance and pushed everyone backwards, away from the scene. "Nothing to see here folks," a green soldier toting a corporal's rank explained," It's time to move along. We'll take care of everything."

And as if they needed any more force, a special civilian model Magitek armor looked over the crowd to keep them in order, it's pilot yelling at the onlookers with a megaphone as the metallic beast clanked around the area. The merchant knew this was something big and that only made him want to find out even more. As time waned on, a squadron of Imperial Airbases flew overhead creating a cacophony of noises amongst the crowd below. Trouble was brewing . . . an uneasiness spread across the bystanders. It was a feeling that nobody had felt since the last great war a few years ago. Were those days or violence and suffering soon to return?

Kefka's Tower 

Ever since the intrusion a few days ago, security around the entire tower had been stepped up. Four patrols walked up and down twenty flights of stairs in both directions, and armed sentries were posted every 7th floor. It was a seemingly airtight system. The worshippers lives would be forever changed by the events of that day . . . over 100 people had died at the hands of the three assassins. How had they become so powerful? Only three of them had killed a hundred! If there was more they could have wiped out the entire tower! It was as if they were their own army! The guards were there in essence as lookouts only. If a problem arose they would alert the population, and as a whole entity, the fanatics were unstoppable. No matter how strong the enemy, the tower of worshippers working together could topple civilizations.

However it all depended on these "guardians of the tower" so to speak. If they were spot on in delivering the message as quickly as possible, it could mean the life and death of the entire tower. They had to know and see everything . . . and they had up to now. They had always expected an attack to come from below, and in hindsight that was their gravest mistake.

Escape Ship 

"_Warning!" _The computer voice for the ship blared as auxiliary power began to fill the power lines trying to slow the ship, "_Proximity alert! Proximity alert! Initiating emergency ejection sequence . . ."_

Cloud was strapped in tightly to the pilot's seat . . . unconscious since the ship had begun it's decent into the planet's atmosphere. Unbearable g-forces had deprived his brain of oxygen and the ship's escape plane was spinning out of control, spiraling white smoke through the sky. Depleted of fuel, and hemorrhaging air, the remnants of _Aeris_ were now nothing more than a missile. Small explosives blew a compartment of the roof off the ship and miniature rockets ignited simultaneously on the side of Cloud's seat, propelling him away from the escape plane and out of harms way. The burst from the rockets abruptly ended and the 300-pound seat suddenly lurched forward and fell with terrible speed. The parachute immediately shot out from the back of the seat and slowed Cloud's drop. Signs of reawakening began to show on his body as his hands twitched. There was a slight grimace of pain on his face as the cold wind bit at his uncovered skin, but all the time he kept his eyes closed.

The ship's retro rockets suddenly cut out and its thrusters went out of control, turning the hunk of metal into a deadly projectile the size of a two story building. It suddenly veered to the right from the drag on the open hatch and pieces of metal of the roof started to rip off, breaking apart the plane from the inside at a terrifying rate. Had this had happened higher up in the atmosphere it would have disintegrated and been nothing more than a shower of heated metal . . . but it was too late. The ship crashed through four floors of the tower, ripping through iron and steel like it wasn't even there. Stone supports crumbled away and fire spread from the chemicals spraying everywhere as the escape plane blew up directly under the next floor. Dozens of bodies were immediately seen being blown from their rooms, falling hundreds of feet to the ground below as their bodies were burned asunder. Guards that had been walking Kefka's tower screamed to the survivors above on the 60th floor and higher, telling them to be calm and await rescue.

The fire was starting to spread, and the high winds near the top of the building were pushing against the only side that remained holding up the upper floors. The flames grew ferociously as the harsh winds pushed them up through the building, and those above had to run to higher ground. The walls creaked and split as the weight penthouse became too much for the supports to bear. The tower leaned dangerous forward, metal barb shattering and snapping as the fires continued to roar. People had evacuated the lower levels at this point and were now anxiously watching from below. Frightened whispers and gasps erupted from the crowd as one of the survivors tried to jump down to the lower levels. He jumped away from the flames, trying to grab onto the handrail and stop this fall but his speed was too great. His hands bounced off the railing and his body slammed into the face of the tower, tumbling bloodily down until his body slammed on the ground.

"Get away from here! There's nothing you can do! The building is going to fall!" a survivor screamed from the 63rd floor as the wreckage of the plane tumbled out the backside of the building and was strewn about on the mountain behind.

"Lord Kefka no!" the worshippers screamed as they panicked and ran from the base of the tower.

"We have to do something!" a person from the crowd yelled out. He surged forward to run up into Kefka's Tower but a sentry held him back.

"It's too late! Get away from here!" the guard shouted at him. He pushed him to safety just as the only side of the wall gave away. The upper levels slammed onto the lower, extinguishing the flames in metallic dust and cinders and then teetered precariously over the edge. A few tower guardians had been trying to form some sort of ladder to rescue those trapped above but it was too late. They scurried down the stairs fearfully now, falling down their only chance of escapes as the entire building creaked and moaned under the immense pressure being put on it.

People cried in horror and disbelief as the top of the tower scraped against the edge it had landed on and began to fall along side the building. Sparks and fire rained everywhere as the hunk of metal screeched and burned, bodies flying out, some charred and some still alive as the monstrous object feel. It slammed into the mountainside with a thunderous boom and shattered apart. The worshippers below screamed and ran away as a dust cloud enveloped everyone, turning the day to dark for a few minutes as the smoke blew across the valley and blanketed the sun. It was Armageddon.

Eerie silence swept over the few hundred survivors of the calamity. Aside from the occasional coughing and blowing of the wind, there were no sounds. Half an hour later the area had cleared up enough that people were starting to organize and begin a damage assessment. Through the hazy environment surrounding the tower the top could still be seen burning lightly. Debris was scattered at the base of the tower as well as the countryside. Kefka's Tower had somehow survived, but no longer could the people of the dead deity's cult reside there.

Eyes were swollen and red . . . puffy from the tears and dust that had been thrown about. They shifted around in both fear and anger . . . praying, HOPING that the pilot of that plane had somehow survived so they could extract their revenge. And with a strong blow of wind a white parachute near the western side of the mountain range whipped around a seat and the outline of a body.

"No fucking way . . ." somebody said as they saw movement behind the white veil. Then they heard a cough," NO FUCKING WAY! THE MURDERER IS ALIVE!"

The fanatics of Kefka's Tower quickly took notice and a few people started to sprint towards the foreign body.

"Don't let him escape!" somebody from within the group shouted out.

What had started as a small group eventually became a stampede as the entire population poured onto the unknowing individual that had killed dozens of people. He had done this . . . the person that would be safe after it was all over. They were bloodthirsty and would take out their anger on him tenfold. The white sheet between Cloud and the mob served as no barrier and it was torn apart in seconds. The first person reached the blonde murderer and greeted him with a nasty right hook that rudely awakened him from his groggy fall and managed to loosen a few teeth. Another person threw a rock at him, knocking his head to the side and somebody else took a mangled piece of metal and sliced his arm with it. A two inch laceration appeared on Cloud's left arm and fresh blood matted down his hair on the same side. The first high priest was about to sink his cold dagger into the cretin's heart when a gunshot rang out. The screams of the mob suddenly subsided and a very large figure walked forward.

"Wait!" it was the third in rank from the top, the Cardinal of Sins. IN reality he was one of Gabe's men from the Empire in disguise, but to the Fanatics he deserved great respect. "Do NOT touch him any further!"

A few of the cult members backed away but the man with his hand on the foreigner spat on his captive and punched him again in the nose, "that's bullshit! He must die!" The crazed man reached for his dagger and raised it above his head for the final blow when another shot rang out. The attacker suddenly reeled over in pain, clutching his hand as a bullet wounded oozed blood from his palm.

"The Cardinal said stop," a cold hearted, brown haired and blue eyed man commanded as he put his gun back under his robe. It was the head of the defense force, Lord Banes, also one of the undercover agents from the Empire.

"What do you think we should do with him instead!" the wounded worshipper shouted back to him angrily.

"Everybody here lost somebody very close to them. What the HELL gives you the right to take vengeance for all of us? No doubt those evil Returners did this to give us a message, we do still have their leader after all," he looked over to the bruised king of Figaro that had been pulled from the tower by his jailers as the chaos began. The skilled soldier was an exceptional instigator of hatred as he spit out propaganda against the Returners like a seasoned intelligence officer. He knew that it was impossible for them to do something like this, but he was following orders and helping to create as much confusion as possible. It would help the Empire by turning Kefka's followers against the Empire's enemy while at the same time getting them off of their own backs. Thinking on the fly, he came up with yet another brilliant plan," Now we can't stay in the tower anymore. We'll have to move everybody into the mountain shelters by the end of the day. Before this had happened our fearless spiritual leader Gabriel had ordered that the brave king Edgar there be entered into the tournament tomorrow in case you don't remember. Now that we have two Returner infidels, I don't see a better way to get revenge than to let the dogs kill each other! And if one survives we'll have a public execution as well!" The crowd started to stir and talk about his idea, indicating that it was to their approval, "Slave crowns will ensure that each fights to their full potential, and they'll fight to the death! What say you my brothers and sisters?"

"It's a grand idea brother Banes," the Cardinal vocally agreed. Other priests and worshippers nodded their head and also voiced their agreement after the high priest had. A brisk rain had begun to fall in the valley, sweeping away the remaining smoke and putting out the smoldering fires up above. The people were worried but confident in their leaders, and were relieved that the perpetrator would be dealt with accordingly and quickly.

"Now everybody, we are a strong people! We have survived and we will continue to survive. Let us come together in our most dire time and become even stronger! Move whatever you can into your new residences in the mountains. Look for wounded and prepare yourselves for the coming weeks! Our destiny is upon us, we can't fail here and now!" Banes shouted to the crowd energetically. The people of Kefka cheered him and praised his words. Everybody quickly spread out and began preparations, leaving Cloud alone. The strange visitor was startled. He barely had hits wits about him and still unable to talk coherently. Those that had been guarding Edgar brought the king over and picked up their new prisoner. They walked towards the mountains with their captives. The two would be in their new cells shortly. Cloud tried to struggle, even explain the situation to the group of jailers holding him and the other guy down, but he was punched in the face once more and told to save his energy for the following day.

The damage was done already, and Cloud's punishment had been carried out. In the next 24 hours he would be fighting to save his life.


	15. Broken Memories

Chapter 15: **Broken Memories**

**Miles from Figaro Castle**

The Falcon had flown at half speed the entire night and finally its destination was in sight. On the horizon, the multiple towers of Figaro Castle appeared as a small mountain range. Dust churned about underneath the low flying airship as it struggled to make it to the port just outside the castle. The area around the castle itself was very delicate, needing soft sand below its foundations in case it had to submerge in an emergency (the ability to transport itself and embed itself in the earth was one of the contributing factors in winning the last war). So finding a suitable spot to a massive ship was mind-bogglingly precarious. But the pilot of this ship was the best in the world . . .

"We're finally here," Setzer told Mik, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's about time," Mik yawned as he stood up and stretched out his arms and legs. The tension from the previous day's events had subsided and the Falcon's crew was remarkably subdued, "I'll go tell Shadow."

Setzer gave him a slight nod, holding the wheel steady as Edgar's bodyguard started went down below. The stairs leading down into the main compartment were splintered and sticking up dangerously everywhere. The lights were out and finding a ninja dressed in black, that doesn't WANT to be found would be nearly impossible. Mik walked to the wooden railing that overlooked a lower level of the lobby and searched for any signs of Shadow, but he was nowhere in immediate sight, "Shadow?" Tracing his hand along the railing, Mik walked down a shorter flight of stairs to the lower part of the lobby and tripped on a damaged timber, falling onto his stomach, "damn it," he huffed to himself, rubbing his limbs and face as they suddenly grew warm from slamming against the ground.

When he pushed himself up again to resume his search, Shadow was standing right in front of him. They stood there for a moment and said nothing to each other, Shadow's eyes intense and painful as he looked into Mik's. A cloud passed out from in front of the sun and both of them were illuminated in the many colors of the fading sun through the holes in the hull of the airship. A blue makeshift bandage covered Shadow's midsection, turning a rusty burgundy in color at places where the blood soaked through and dried. Mik wanted to extend his thanks to Shadow for saving his life, but as he looked at him, the ninja's eyes sent him a message of distrust. Instead, he only relayed the message, "We're at Figaro."

**Figaro Castle**

The intense warrior walked stealthily through the castle, holding his breath and neither his feet nor body making any noticeable sound. made his way by the daunting obelisks inside the main hall. He was careful to walk in the shadows of the daunting obelisks of the grand hall so he wouldn't draw any attention to his location and be able to defeat his enemy. Neither had any weapons to speak of besides their own two fists, so it was critical to get as close to the other as possible without being seen in order to land the finishing blow. The defender of the castle was sure now that the other person was close . . . little things like the disruption of a breeze from outside or the rise of temperature from within a room was easy to pick up on from a seasoned fighter's experience. He had trained himself to detect these things over countless battles. However, if he knew about this, then certainly the other knew as well . . .

Just as the thought of his foe crossed his mind, the enemy showed himself, smack dab in the center of the cavernous room. There was an air of mystery around this seemingly unafraid challenger. He showed no defensive or aggressive posture, and the way he stood seemed as though he was taunting his pursuer to attack. Infuriated at the confidence the enemy had, the warrior jumped into action and began his attack.

With incredible quickness he threw a barrage of punches at his enemy, his fists slicing through the air with amazing speed and accuracy. It would seem that every punch connected but the defender was so nimble that he was able to dodge each one, leaning backwards and to the side as though his body was naturally reacting on it's own to the attack. Hitting only air, the aggressor grew angrier and put more power into his moves, making his technique sloppy. The enemy took advantage of his weakness and countered with the same moves that had been used on him. Now on the defensive, the first warrior barely managed to duck away from the moves being used on him. Was his enemy really using the same style of attack against him? If so he would know which attack was coming next and prepare for the opening.

His master had taught him that knowing your own weaknesses is the key to true power. Now more than ever the sagely advice was true. Duck . . . slide . . . block . . . . THERE!

_Phwap!_

His strong right fist connected with a dull, satisfying slap of bone against bone. The pain was minimal to his tough hand, but he was sure that the other guy's chin was feeling it. While he relished landing the first blow he left himself open for the exact same attack from his foe.

"Shit!"

The enemy's fist hammered down on his lower jaw with the same intensity that his had and it sent them both stumbling backwards. Dazed, they both mirrored each other and tried to shake off the previous attack, rubbing their jaws before dashing back into the fight. The same complicated dance continued on for a seemingly eternal loop. If the attacker landed a punch to the chest, ribs, or to the stomach . . . the other person did exactly the same to him, matching both the technique and energy of his every move.

But it was all an illusion. The defending warrior was starting to see through his unwavering foe. This was a match of speed, but not of power. At first it had felt as though the other person was delivering just as nasty of a blow as he was but each successive counter attack had been lacking any stopping power. They both moved in near perfect symmetry with each other, but the outcome of the battle wouldn't be a stalemate. He had the upper hand in power and endurance. Now it was just a matter of catching his opponent off guard. Jumping into the air he straightened his body out and connected with a double punch to his foe's chest. The force of the attack sent the other person flying backwards but just as soon as he had reached the ground he hard righted himself and was sprinting towards him for the same counterattack. Sure enough, as soon as he was in striking range he jumped up into the air and twisted his body while stretching his fists out.

Closing his eyes the defender of Figaro Castle clasped his hands together and chanted words to himself, recalling a lost language that had been passed down from his warrior monk master to himself years ago. In an instant he summoned all the latent ki floating around his body and focused it into his aura. "This is it!" he screamed as he pulled all the ki into his body. A sphere of sandy blue energy focused itself into his palms before turning light blue in color, almost white.

The enemy continued to fly forward, oblivious to the coming attack as the king of fighters forced the ki from his body in a beam of hot light. He closed his eyes and let it all pour out, feeling it connect with its target, "You're too slow!" he confidently yelled as he opened his eyes, "WHAT?!" His foe had matched the beam with his own and they both poured everything they had into overpowering the other's deadly blitz. The attacks sent sparks flying in all directions before finally equaling each other out with a thunderous boom that shook sand from between the castle stones in the ceiling. Both of the fighters were thrown backwards and slammed against a pillar.

The first person picked himself up and launched a deadly volley of these bolts of his aura from different points in the room, ripping apart pieces of the stone pillars that supported the ceiling as he tried to get the upper hand on his foe. He intensified each attack but each time the beams were negated just as the first beam was. Bricks became displaced and began to fall from the ceiling and sand stirred up around the both of them as they now stared at each other from opposite sides of the room, their bodies exhausted and chests heaving.

What could he do? What where his options now and how could he beat his enemy? Many questions raced through the defender's mind as his muscles began aching. Sweat had collected in a V across his pecs, which stretched out his blue tank top and dripped to the ground below. His veins were jutting out of the cannon-like, bulging arms from the intensity of the last attack. The other warrior merely looked in his direction through a disguise of five sets of colorful tribal robes as if to relish in his disappointment. His enemy showed no sign of wear or a drop of sweat through the clothes they wore.

And then suddenly, just like that the king of Figaro loosened up and cracked his neck, "It's been a good workout," the master of the Blitz commented to his sparring partner as he stretched out his arms and took a few deep breaths, "But it's time I finished this," Sabin knew that the mimic could only copy what it could see, so he used the only move that was fast enough to elude Gogo's supreme sense of observation was . . . Bum Rush.

Signaling the beginning of this awesome blitz attack, Sabin lunged forward and sprinted around his challenger, building up speed until he appeared only as a continuous shadow around his target. Gogo stumbled backwards slightly, getting a swift punch to his lower back that kept him in place. Sabin continued to charge up his remaining energy until his aura to glow silver pink. The mimic did its best to keep up with him but couldn't. In a flash the king stopped and jumped forward with legs apart and arms bent at the elbow. He pulled it all together until the excess energy shot upwards above his head and then he started to attack. At half the distance to Gogo, Sabin's aura flashed from silver to golden yellow, like that of his short, spiked hair. Then he disappeared . . . he couldn't teleport, but he was moving so fast it appeared as though he could.

He appeared again in front of his foe for a spilt second and Gogo tried to strike out at him but the fighter had disappeared again before he had connected. His last and only chance of survival was trying to escape. Gogo took a step forward and was met with a crushing blow to his sternum, "Nope, don't think I'll let you off that easily" Sabin said to the silent mimic. He reeled back to his initial position and clutched his chest with his left hand. The seemingly unpenetrateable wall of Sabin's appeared all around and trapped Gogo. The mime thought it would be slick and try to trick Sabin with its next move but was dead wrong in assuming that it could be done. The mime quickly took a step forwards and then backpedaled as fast as possible backwards . . . and that's when the pain set in . . . the attack had started.

Gogo could feel the blast of air as Sabin missed with his first attack but when the mime stepped backwards, Sabin struck him with a bone-jarring blow to the spine. As Gogo collapsed to its knees from the pain, it was struck again on the cheek, tilting Gogo's head downwards. Sabin followed up with a ferocious uppercut after that which sent his friend sailing backwards four feet in the air. It felt like slow motion to the master of illusions when he began to descend back to the ground. All of the mimic's energy was expended and it was left open to any attack. Hopefully its body would hit the ground because after today, it was probably going to hurt the least. But alas, it wouldn't be. Painfully jerking its head upwards, Gogo saw Sabin reappear then disappear again. When he showed himself again he was above the mime with both hands clamped together, readying for the finishing Hammer Blow technique to send his opponent into the ground.

Sabin's legs bent behind his body and his chest bulged outwards as he raised both fists into a position behind his head. With unforgiving ferocity he snapped each body part back into their original position and connected with his attack. Gogo was hit hard in the torso and hit the ground with such an impact that the stones underneath him crumbled and flew upwards . . . Every bone in its body was broken, every muscle ruptured . . . Gogo could only do one thing. He lifted his right arm and hit it against the floor, tapping out.

"Medic!" Sabin yelled. In seconds, groups of doctors and nurses rushed in with various potions, already in the position to administer them, "You did good today Gogo. Thanks for staying in there. Same time next week?" Gogo nodded as multiple X-potions were poured over his wounds to bring him back from near death. It was almost comical to see him glow green from the healing items as the nurses took him away on a medical bed.

A random guard rushed into the training room with a distraught look on his face as the king began to walk back to the throne room, "Sabin, come quick! The Falcon's here and it doesn't look to good!"

"What?! Which side of the castle?" Sabin asked the messenger.

"Windward side, the northwest!" he answered, pointing eagerly.

"Please follow me, we might need your help!" Sabin said as he grabbed two doctors that had been helping Gogo.

**Airship Port, Left Tower of Figaro Castle **

The Falcon had literally limped into port, barely able to stay afloat. As soon as the main engines had been cut it crashed to the ground below, "Look out!" Setzer screamed to the ground crew below. Littered with small holes and poor patch jobs, the Falcon had lost the ability to stay afloat. Half of the engines were completely destroyed and they were lucky that the gas inside the blimp wasn't volatile enough to ignite.

Sabin was just in time and watched as the propellers shut off and dug into the soft sand near the castle. The dust settled, and the remaining power died down before the crew members began to disembark off the ship. The first of the survivors was a mechanic lending his shoulder to an injured friend. They were soon afterward followed a by an engineer and a co-pilot climbing down a rope ladder from the upper decks. A few more maintenance workers appeared from inside the hull of the ship, each with a unique injury to their bodies it seemed. They were met by the doctors and sentries of Figaro Royalty and were led into the safety of the castle. Sabin was anxiously watching for his friends, hoping that everyone was okay.

Shadow was the first to show. He leapt from the ship's top rail, which was at least fifteen off the ground, and fell to the sand below. Shadow lost his footing as he shifted his weight to his legs and crashed face first into the ground, a very unusual occurrence from a man of his strength.

"Shadow! You alright man?" Sabin was shocked to see the elite ninja weakened and reeling silently in pain.

"Yeah . . . fine," Shadow responded, a little shaken up from his misjudgment and still grimacing from the pain. As he pushed himself back up, sand filtered out from inside his mask and slid off his black ninja gear to the desert below. He squinted as he regained his proper balance, indicating the pain he felt underneath his smooth guise. Out of reflex he held onto his side, trying to support it, "I need to get this treated quick before it gets infected," Shadow took some steps in the direction of Sabin and tumbled to his knees again. The king quickly motioned to some waiting nurses who they ran over to help Shadow to a room for treatment. He put an arm around each of their shoulders for support and as they walked by with Shadow, the ninja extended his arm and patted Sabin on the shoulder," In case I don't see you again today . . . thanks," he told him.

Gratitude . . . it was something that couldn't be earned that easily from somebody like Shadow. He hadn't learned to express himself until very late in life. Nobody had done anything nice for him when he was little and without parents. He was always looked down upon, always was on the run, escaping from his latest victim. As a teen, Shadow and his friend Baram were an invincible team. They were master thieves that stole everything and anything they wanted from anybody. The both grew up thinking that you could get whatever you wanted just by taking it. To them, there were no limits. Nothing was given to you cause things of importance weren't just given away.

That all changed one fateful day, more than a decade ago . . .

"_They got me, I can't go on anymore Clyde!" Baram shouted, gripping his wound to stop the bleeding._

"_No! Get up! If we can make it to the next town we'll be alright," Shadow told his friend, trying to lift him up. Baram screamed in agony and Clyde was forced to put him down. It had been just a regular heist, but something had gone horribly wrong. Somebody had been alerted to the planned robbery and had set a trap for them. Clyde managed to escape with only minor cuts and bruises, but Baram was slashed in the leg, severing his main tendon._

"_Don't you hear the voices? They're coming for us!" Baram pleaded with his partner . . . his best friend, "Save yourself . . . I'm gone anyways." Clyde tried to carry him again but Baram yelled out. " I'm over here you son's of bitches! Come and get me!" Clyde jumped back, shocked, "Get going . . . I'll keep them off your trail."_

_Clyde took a couple steps back and looked at his friend one last time, then, he ran. _

Baram had given Shadow his freedom . . . and a new life. In his second life as Shadow, Clyde had helped to save the world, but he still had that problem with gratitude. Clyde never asked his only friend to lay down his life for him and because of that he never said "thanks". After defeating Kefka, Shadow told himself that he'd stop running. Saying thanks to Sabin was a small step in the right direction. Maybe one of these days he would confront his fears and lead a normal life . . . but until then, he must deal with his inner demons if and when they surface.

Sabin was too busy helping Shadow to notice Mik and Setzer departing the Falcon and coming his way. He turned around to check out the ship and Setzer began talking with him. Mik had his head down and back turned to the heir to the throne of Figaro.

"Sabin, your-" Setzer was cut off.

"Where's my brother?" Sabin shot at Setzer, a bit worried.

As he made his reply, Setzer turned his slightly to the right, letting the wind blow his shoulder length white hair get tangled in the wind, "That's what I was trying to say . . . Sabin," Setzer's expression suddenly became evidently grim," he didn't make it. The cult at Kefka's Tower captured him. Our mission failed . . ."

"What!!" Sabin screamed, fear and anger mixing in his voice. His normally relaxed frame now tensed up from the anticipation of what happened, "Tell me EVERYTHING that happened!"

At this point Mik joined in, "It was my fault! Please forgive me!," Mik shouted, wanting to sound as sincerely as possible as he got down on one knee before the new king, "I've let you and the Returners down . . . I'm a failure. I should have gone last . . ."

Sabin reflected on the events that were unfolding before he mad his next comment, "Is he still alive?"

"I don't know," Mik replied, lowering his head again.

"If there's still a chance then we're going to go back for him," Sabin announced quickly," If there is any chance of saving him, we'll have to orchestrate it fast," The others nodded their heads in agreement, " Setzer, I want you to call together an emergency meeting of the delegates for the Returners. Mik, I want you to check on Shadow then do the same. In the mean time, I'll have the technicians here work around the clock to fix the Falcon. We're going to need it."

They dispersed and went their separate ways. Mik ran as fast as he could to the balcony that held the Pigeon Express and sent a letter thinking nobody would notice. Then he left to go check on Shadow. Little known to him, Gogo had been watching from his hospital bed.


End file.
